The Ascents
by Dracis Tran
Summary: Ryu's life is happy with his family and Clanmates until his twelfth birthday. His town's destroyed, sister killed, and he's lucky to be alive. His father, who is away, always told him to go to Wyndia and tell the King if things went sour...
1. I:1: Traditions of the Dragon

**Act 1: Childhood**

**Chapter 1: Traditions of the Dragon**

**Party: Ryu, Sarah**

"Ryu!"

The blue-haired boy groaned and rolled over in his bed.

"Ryu! You know what today is! Get up!"

Ryu opened one sleepy eye, only to be greeted with the stern face of his mother. She tapped her foot twice. "I'm waiting. And you too, young lady!"

There was a rustling from the bed behind Ryu, and his sister's voice feebly replied, "We know, mother. Can't we get a little more sleep?"

"No!" Chesa shouted, obviously getting perturbed with her children. "You are due at the Elders' in twenty minutes! You need to be ready to go! Don't you remember your duty today, Sarah!"

Ryu sat up in bed slowly and turned to watch his sister bolt upright. "You're right!" she said, throwing off the covers and running outside to wash.

Ryu turned to smile at his mother. "Good morning," he said.

The twelve-year-old's smile melted the woman's heart, and she smiled down at him. "Now you need to wash after your sister. Until she's done washing, I want you to collect your things, such as the dirk your father gave you for your twelfth birthday. And now that you are twelve and it is the first of the month, you can begin your first journey."

Ryu gasped, he had forgotten! "Yes, Mom! Right away!" He received a kiss on his cheek from his mother before he rushed off to collect his things. His mother smiled after him, then returned to the main section of the house to continue preparing her children their breakfast.

After all of the tasks were finished, Sarah and Ryu collected their breakfast that they would eat on the way to the Elders' from their mother and received kisses before being sent on their way. At first, they walked in silence, enjoying the first meal of the day, but once Sarah's meal was complete, she began to talk to Ryu.

"I'm so proud of you, you know," she said, and Ryu looked at her mildly confused. "Not many people take to the dirk as quickly as you did. Father was so proud. It's too bad he had to head out to some of the other shrines during the time of one of our rituals, though."

Ryu nodded in agreement. He wanted his father to be there with him when he began to take on forms, but it seemed that it was not to be. But he would be back in a year, and then everything would be as normal, with father and mother both training Sarah and Ryu in all of the traditions that they had to know as members of the Dragon Clan. Sarah was training in the spear as well as her forms, while Ryu had chosen the more traditional sword.

Sarah continued along the same vein while they approached the Elders' Tower. There were only two or three Elders in the Tower at any given time, while the other Elders were out serving at the various temples across the world. The town of Ness was simply where all of the young members of the Dragon Clan lived, and where they learned to control the powers that they had as a part of their heritage. Once control was officially established, members of the clan could leave if they so wished. Go out into the world, visit the big cities like Wyndia and Faiah. But if and when they returned to have children, they always returned to the hidden village to raise them so that the clan would continue as it had in the past thousand years.

Once inside the Elders' tower, the two youths did not have to announce their presence. Elder Hammet was waiting for them. "Ah, Ryu and Sarah. I have been expecting you two." Ryu smiled. He had always liked Elder Hammet. Both he and Sarah took more comfortable positions on the furniture when the Elder waved them over to them. "I imagine you both are excited?"

He got enthusiastic nods as a response.

"Sarah, you are now fifteen. You have demonstrated a mastery of the powers so far unlocked within you, and now it is time to begin the tasks to truly test your acceptance of your next set of powers. Your first task will be to assist your younger brother in his first endeavor. The endeavor that you completed when you were twelve, as he is now."

Sarah nodded in acceptance.

The Elder turned to Ryu. "Ryu, you are an Ascent, of the Dragon Clan. That is the way of our people. At the age of twelve, you are given your first endeavor. Success grants you the first of your powers. The next three years are spent honing these powers and getting them under control. You will be trained by your parents and Elders, and will be ready for your next task at the age of fifteen.

"Once that happens, you will be given several tasks, culminating in a week-long journey that will take you outside the places that you have known all of your life. You will have help and support, but the decisions on this journey are yours alone. Along the journey you will discover more about the world, and more about your powers. Once you return here, you will spend three more years, learning many new things about yourself and your powers.

"At the age of eighteen, you will be sent on a much longer journey. This journey is your final test. By finding and retrieving something that the Elders set for you, and returning here to Ness, you will have earned your adulthood. Once that happens, you will be allowed to leave Ness and make your fortune in the outside world for a while, as most do.

"But today, you are twelve. The first step is now. With your sister as your support, your task is to travel to the cliffs that lie to the north of town. Your test and task will commence there. You have the whole day to complete the journey and the task. Good luck, young one." The Elder bowed to both of them. "Sarah, return here tomorrow morning to receive your next task." Then the Elder turned and walked up the stairs to the upper areas of the Tower.

After a moment or two of silence, Sarah turned to her younger brother. "Well, it's time. Are you ready, Ryu?"

Ryu nodded, though he swallowed loudly. "As ready as I'll ever be," he amended.

Sarah smiled. "I will be your support, so when we come upon the nasty buggers that live in and near the cliffs, I will be there to help you out. But I will not help you navigate the cliffs. I must follow you, as my support simply followed me. This is your first exploration, as all of us have to be adept at it when we set out on our last journey."

Ryu nodded. "Okay. I'm glad you're my support, Sarah."

Sarah smiled again and ruffled her little brother's blue hair, earning a "Hey!" "As am I. Shall we get going?"

With Ryu's nod, the two youths left the Elders' Tower and headed to the northern gate of Ness. Ryu wore the blue tunic that signified that he was now attempting his first task, while Sarah wore the violet tunic that signified that she was now attempting her second task. The villagers that were out that morning and passing the two youths bowed to them as they would bow to the Elders. It was tradition that anyone on a task or pilgrimage was given the same respect that the Elders got.

Arriving at the gate, the two guards bowed to them and opened the gate to the north. The gate was really only to keep out monsters as opposed to keeping in children. The only reason anyone went north to the cliffs was the first task that Ryu was on that day. One of the guards smiled at Sarah, and she smiled back.

The trip to the cliffs themselves took approximately two hours of a normal march pace. The only thing of consequence that they met was a small group of slimes. Sarah quickly dispatched several of them with a few well-placed thrusts, while Ryu took one out on his own and was working on a second when Sarah simply watched him, indicating that it was the last one. She coached him a little bit, showing him where the weakpoints of the unfortunate creatures were.

Ryu finally cut through the little mass in the center of the slime that functioned as it's brain, and cleaned his sword on the grass as the slime melted into the water from whence it came. Sarah simply smiled as she waited for him to take the lead once again, and this time he was more than happy to do so, flush with his victory.

Ryu and Sarah reached the end of the small stretch of Plains that separated Ness from the Northern Cliffs when the sun was just beginning to peak in the sky. The path became difficult, with rocks blocking some paths and paths leading every which way. Sarah did not give Ryu any information regarding what path to take, but was simply encouraging when he made a wrong choice and was face to face with the large boulder that proved it.

"I came this way too, you know," she said at one particular dead end. Ryu, frowning at his failure, looked up at her with interest. "I made quite a ruckus too. I only stopped carrying on when my support looked up at the sky and pointed out that there _was_ a time limit to what I was doing. That shut me up real quick." Ryu grinned. That sounded like his sister.

After climbing over many rocks and facing several dead-ends, Ryu and Sarah finally broke out to the open cliffs. The stretch of cliffs was about 200 paces long, and the clear area in front of them was about 15 paces or so. Plenty of space. But for what? Ryu looked around, and even edged up to the cliff to look down. It looked like a 300 or 400 pace drop to the water, and it wasn't exactly clear of rocks either. There seemed to be a few paces that the water _could_ be deep enough and clear enough to survive a fall into, but Ryu wasn't about to put that theory to the test. Instead, he turned to his sister, intent on asking her what the test was, exactly.

She was standing on the far side of the cliff, her blue hair stretched out to its full length as it streamed behind her in the high wind coming off the sea. She wasn't facing him, but she seemed to notice when he was looking at her. "Your task, Ryu, is as thus. You are to fight me, and fight me with all your might, for I will not be holding back." She turned around to face him, and her face was stern. "Defend yourself, student." And then his sister lurched into a fetal position, crying out. Ryu took a step towards her, not entirely sure what was going on, but was stopped when a light began emanating from her. A white light that spread until he was blinded.

When he had blinked the stars out of his eyes, he saw that instead of his sister standing on the other side of the cliff, there was a blue dragon, standing on its hind legs, tail lashing back and forth behind her. Ryu swallowed and drew his dirk. He hoped he knew enough about the sword to defend himself adequately against his sister. He knew that he couldn't defeat her, but somehow she had succeeded in this task… so all he could do was try his hardest. He stopped the active thinking when the dragon charged toward him, claws outstretched.

He parried her claws aside and the force of the parry sent her off the cliff, but a claw found purchase in the cliff face and the dragon flipped back into the fray. A second claw swipe was caught by the dirk, and this time tangled in the claw. Ryu pulled as hard as he could, but all he was succeeding at was keeping his grip. The stalemate lasted for about five seconds before the other claw came slashing in and Ryu was forced to dodge, and his dirk was thrown along the cliff. He raced after it, but he found the dragon blocking his way.

Ryu faked going left and spun around intending to head right. He did not fake the dragon enough, however, and as he ran by, he earned himself a gauge in the side. He cried out with the pain, but he did not lose his stride, and he was able to snatch up the sword in time to parry the next strike that the dragon was able to take at him. This time he parried it to one side, careful to not get it entangled in the claw, but his concentration didn't let him realize that the other claw was once again bearing down on him.

He cried out again, this time in anger as well as pain. What was he supposed to do? He was hopelessly outmatched to his sister in human form. As a dragon, he stood no chance at all. For the first time he launched an offensive, and using his better mobility to his advantage, he was able to stay out of the line of fire of the dragon's claws and teeth as he drove it back across the cliff nearer and nearer to a large pile of rubble. When there were perhaps 15 paces to go, the dragon hopped back right to the rubble wall, and breathed in.

Ryu had only time to breathe out an obscenity before turning and running, trying to duck down the path that they had approached the cliff from before he was hit by the breath, but it was too late. The lightning that came out poured through him and he screamed with the pain of the nasty shock. And screamed. And he lost his sight and hearing, and found himself floating within his own mind.

"Am I… dead…?" he asked the darkness. But there was no answer.

Only a small light that was inches in front of him, just out of reach. Ryu reached out and flailed his arms and legs to get closer. Inch by inch, bit by bit, Ryu's hand grew closer and closer to his goal, until finally his hand clasped around it. He immediately felt all of his senses return, and the shock of the returned pain was too much for him. He collapsed, the lightning breath of the dragon he was fighting gone, and he remembered no more.

* * *

Sarah raised herself up and shook out her body. She was drained, but she felt accomplished. She had not expected to have to use her breath weapon, but her brother turned out to be that good at keeping her at bay. She was proud; proud beyond words. She had been told that her own power was the largest that would be seen in years, but it seemed that her brother had at least as much power as she did. She walked over to the fallen dragon whelp and picked him up gently. He let out a cry of protest, but it was muffled by his exhaustion.

"Shh," Sarah whispered to her little brother. "You did well today, my brother. You don't have to worry about anything else today. I'll take care of you for today, and Mom will take over for me for the rest of the time." And she carried the dragon whelp down the cliffs, using her skills to keep them safe as the sun began its journey downward to the horizon.


	2. I:2: Back to Ness

**Act 1: Childhood**

**Chapter 2: Back to Ness…**

**Party: Ryu, Sarah**

Sarah stopped suddenly, and the force of the jerk caused Ryu to lazily open his eyes and stretch. Strangely, he found that Sarah didn't protest as the dragon whelp in her arms stretched and yawned. Ryu opened his eyes, aware that he was in a dragon form, though too tired to really be as ecstatic about it as he thought he would be originally. He looked upward at his sister's face, and what he saw there was enough to shock him.

Fear.

He had never seen such an expression on her face before. Always it had been something brave, or perhaps stoic. She had always been able to take things in stride. She had been the one that had stood up for him when _he_ was afraid. But she couldn't be afraid now… that wouldn't be a good thing. Because that meant that whatever she saw would be worse than anything he had dealt with before.

And he was so tired…

Curiosity, however, beat out the foreboding that had taken root within his stomach, and Ryu stretched his neck in order to look out at the direction that Sarah was looking. When he had finally done it, and gotten a view of it, he didn't immediately connect what it meant. He saw smoke rising to the sky. Thick plumes of smoke, though from the distance they were away along the plains it didn't look terribly thick…

The plains.

Ness.

Ryu let out a cry of anxiety, and this jolted Sarah back into her senses. She shook her head, then continued to walk towards the town, though she was using a much faster pace now than she had before. Ryu squirmed, wanting to be let down, but unable to communicate with his sister effectively. It turned out that squirming got what he wanted, as he was set down as his sister sighed at him.

"Alright, alright, but please keep up…" she said to him, obviously preoccupied.

It took Ryu a few moments to find his balance, then a few more to figure out how to waddle around. The fact that it only took him a total of about a minute to figure out how to keep pace with his sister was amazing to him, though Sarah made no mention of it. Soon enough, Sarah was jogging at a decent clip and little Ryu was speedily at her side the whole way. It was exhilarating to be moving around in this new form of his. He did start to focus on the problem at hand instead of the amazing new sensations that he was experiencing, albeit reluctantly.

He _did_ want to test out the interesting claws that he had, as well as figure out if he had a breath weapon or not, but the important thing was figuring out what was going on first, before doing something about it, and _then_ he could work with his dragon form later. He sighed, though became delighted when sparks came out of his nose. Apparently, he _did_ have a breath weapon of some kind.

The pair had been running at this pace for about a half an hour before Sarah slowed to a stop, looking around. She unclasped the spear that she kept in a sheath behind her back and looked around wary for an opponent. Ryu looked all around them quizzically, but all he could see was the borders of the plains. The cliffs behind them, Ness and the rolling grasslands in front of them, and the hills on either side. But between those borders, the only things that he could see were himself and his sister. He wondered what his sister was worried about, but a sinking feeling in his chest told him that he had to be ready too. After all, if something had found their village, and it was unfriendly, then it probably was particularly powerful.

The sinking feeling was growing steadily worse, and Ryu wondered, as he looked from side to side, wary of an attack, whether Sarah had felt this sinking feeling before he had, and that's what had caused her to come to a stop. It was possible, of course, that this sinking feeling had something to do with the dragon powers. Or it just could be his nerves.

However, it was his nerves that took the shock when suddenly appearing in front of them was a man. Not just any man, but a giant of a man. He had fierce blue eyes and no hair on the top of his head, though his black beard nearly had enough hair to cover it. He was easily seven or eight feet tall, and was quite large in the other proportion too. He was leaning on a sword that was taller than Ryu was, and probably thicker than the dirk that he carried. Ryu suddenly noticed with a jerk that he didn't know where his dirk was. Well, hopefully he wouldn't need it until the danger was past.

The man looked at them both. "Impressive," he said in a deep bass, but it was not a soothing or congratulatory tone. It was a deadly tone, and Ryu felt his hackles rise in reaction to the cold demeanor that the man was giving. "I do wish I knew where you Dragons got that ability from. It made things more difficult than I may have wished, but it sure did make it more fun." At this, he smiled. But the eyes remained cold, and the result was something that really didn't remind Ryu of anyone else's smile that he had seen. A sneer on a particularly nasty person's face was the only thing that came to mind as similar.

"What do you want from us?" Sarah asked tersely, her eyes meeting the cold blue ones glare for glare.

The man did not move, but Ryu got the distinct feeling that he was suddenly ready for battle. "Nothing you need to know about," was his only answer, and his only warning before he sword swept up from the ground and came at Sarah. She parried it away hard and jumped back a pace. Ryu closed in and raked his claws along the legs of the big man, but before he could make another attack, he was swept aside by the sword, and then suddenly blinded by the light coming from Sarah. Apparently she had taken the opportunity to transform.

The big man growled and while Sarah was busy transforming, he turned his attention on Ryu. Ryu was ready when the giant sword came to bear against him, and his small frame easily dodged out of the way. Getting an idea from the fight he had had with Sarah earlier that day, Ryu grabbed the sword and tangled it with his claw a little so that the big man would have trouble bearing it. Of course, Ryu had not accounted for the big man's strength, and he found himself raised in the air easily by the big man, and with a mighty swing, Ryu was wrenched away from the sword and to the ground hard. Even through the spring's grass the dirt rose from the stiff impact.

Just after being tossed clear, Ryu felt and heard the passage of Sarah's lightning breath that she had so kindly used to defeat him. This time however, when the breath cleared, the man was still standing there, looking unharmed. He had his sword in a guard position in front of his body, and it was now glowing a bright blue color that was quite like the color of the breath that Sarah had. Sarah seemed to notice this, and took a step back, ready to dodge or something if the man had some counterattack hidden up his sleeve.

It turned out that he did, and it was a good thing that Sarah was ready for it. The man slashed the sword downward in her direction and a bolt of the breath came at her. She quickly jumped out of the way, and when the bolt had subsided, the big man and the larger of the two dragons were pacing each other. Ryu was still struggling to get up.

The female dragon growled low in her throat, and this earned a derisive laugh from her opponent. He then charged, and Sarah deftly blocked his sword swings with her claws, the same way that she had blocked the dirk in the battle with Ryu. However, because of what had happened to Ryu, she did not try to tangle the sword to try to disarm her opponent. Even if she was larger and heavier than Ryu's dragon form, it was not enough to counter the strength of her opponent, and she knew it. She was trying to find some sort of advantage. Without her breath weapon and the ability to disarm her opponent, she was quickly running out of ideas.

Ryu tried to help as best he could, but even after getting up and returning to the fray, he couldn't do much more than annoy the man. The big man was concentrating most of his defenses on Sarah, and ignoring Ryu like one ignores a fly in the room. When Ryu came up to bite, scratch, or otherwise bother the man, he would use a single swing of the sword to get rid of him, and then the sword was flashing back at Sarah before she had a chance to take advantage.

The battle continued this way for a while, and Ryu was tiring out. He realized that since this was his first transformation, he probably would not remain in dragon form much longer. And when he became a boy again, he knew that it would be hard to be even as much of an annoyance to the man as he was as a dragon, and that he might not be able to survive too many more of the sword strikes without his hard dragonhide protecting him. He decided it was time to try something desperate.

Instead of trying to sneak in and deliver a quick blow and then get out of the way before the man could retaliate, Ryu jumped as high as he could, aided by the small wings that he had growing out of his shoulders, and landed on the man's back and bit into the back of his neck. The man howled with pain for the first time, and this caused Ryu to redouble his efforts. It was working! Then suddenly, he felt a hand grip his tail, and with a mighty yank Ryu was pulled of the man. But the momentum carried Ryu a very long way before hitting the ground, and he was flying fast enough at that point to know that he would not be conscious after such a landing.

* * *

Ryu awoke, coughing and spluttering. He wiped his hand… a boy's hand… across his mouth to attempt to get the dust out of his mouth. He sat up and leaned against the wall that he hand landed next to and evaluated himself. He found that other than a severe headache and the feeling that his mouth had been washed out with dirt, he was right as rain. The darkness of night was oppressing, but looking around, there was nowhere to shelter himself from the outdoors. He was leaning against one of the only standing walls. 

He suddenly gasped, and then hated himself for gasping. Was this Ness? Was this all there was left of the town that he had grown up in? What had happened to Sarah? Mom? Elder Hammet? What had really happened? Ryu looked around dumbly for some sort of obvious clue, but all he saw was wreckage. There weren't any bodies however, and Ryu was glad of that. He had seen a dead body once, and he was not ready to repeat the experience, especially several times over.

Ryu looked down at himself. He was still clothed in the ritual garb that he had worn that morning, and the only indications it had been worn were things he could remember, such as the scratches along his side from Sarah and a burn mark on the back from where the breath had hit him. But there was no evidence of his fight with the dragon, or the fall after being tossed off the man. He felt around, and found his dirk lying by his side. So it seemed that whatever he was carrying or wearing when he transformed would transform with him…

Ryu felt the tears finally come as he realized that he wanted to know more about his dragon and more about himself, but there was no one to tell him. He didn't know where to go, or what to do. All he had was himself, the clothes on his back and the dirk at his side. That wasn't exactly much to start with. He wanted his mother… he wanted Sarah, and there was no way of telling where they were, or how to get there if it wasn't where he was sitting.

Ryu crawled around some of the wreckage and collected some things that seemed like they would be off use. There was a slightly charred bedroll that was lying in the back of one of the buildings' remains that Ryu took, and there were a few of the food storage boxes that had made it through all right. Finding himself famished, Ryu tore open one of them and dug into the food that was waiting inside. Once he had eaten his fill and drunk of the stream that flowed through the town, he packed up what he could with whatever bits of rope and cloth that he could find and outfitted himself.

He had latched on to a particular memory of his father, when he was leaving that previous winter for serving in one of the Temples around the world.

"_Ryu, Sarah. I know you'll both do well this year. I'm upset that I cannot be with you during this time of change, but you both know I'll be back soon enough. But there are a few things I would like you to know before I leave._

"_Remember that Ness is under the protection and rule of the King of Wyndia. The King's castle lies in the northern mountains, in the city of Wyndia. It is not hard to find, though you would need help if you were to travel there now. If anything happens and you can't get to Ness for whatever reason, that is where you are supposed to go. He knows about us and will bring you under his protection for as long as is needed."_

"_But daddy," Sarah protested, but she was cut off by her father._

"_I know, Sarah, its not going to happen to you guys. It has never happened before. But it is something that you need to know just in case it _does _happen to you. On your way, enlist the help of some people to guide you through the mountain, and once you make it to Wyndia, you'll be as safe as you would be in Ness."_

Ryu let his tears fall as he thought bitterly about the fact that Ness hadn't been too safe for the Dragon Clan that day. Though he was ready to start north to the hill lands, he still had the headache, he was full, and it was extremely dark. He laid out the bedroll in a darker corner of one of the remains of the buildings, hiding himself from the view of as much as possible and cried himself softly to sleep. His dreams did not provide any comfort.


	3. I:3: Journey Underway

**Act 1: Childhood**

**Chapter 3: Journey Underway**

**Party: Ryu**

Ryu awoke in the morning with a little grogginess, but that didn't last long when he took a look around at his surroundings. He checked the package that he had created the previous night, finding it undisturbed, as he had hoped. Maybe the walls were still foreboding for the wild animals that lived around the eastern coast of Wyndia. Putting the package into his pack and strapping it all to him took a measly five minutes. He ate a little more of the food, though he remained hungry. He wasn't sure of the next time that he would have a chance to really eat.

He looked around at the ruins one last time. He didn't have any idea if he would ever come back here, or if it would ever be a good idea to do so. He remembered the instructions, though vague, that his father had given him. He didn't know what exactly he was walking into, nor did he know what kind of people or places he would meet and see. This, he concluded, was an adventure. He sighed as he adjusted the pack on him once more. He had figured an adventure didn't have the fear and foreboding that this journey did.

Using the position of the sun as a guide, he set out roughly north, towards the mountains that he knew were somewhere in the morning haze. The hills that led up to them were blocked by a mass of green; the forest that was much closer than the mountains was even hard to see. As Ryu had never left the village until the previous day, he didn't know how far or how long it would take to cross the distance. He hoped, however, that there was a town or two between him and the mountain climb. He remembered a few stories about the great city of Wyndia, and how it was built into the center of four mountains that were on the four compass points with Castle Wyndia at the center. He didn't know how much of the stories to believe, especially the part that the people there had _wings_.

An hour passed and Ryu suddenly stopped. He looked around warily, and when he turned all the way around, he spotted a trio of slimes racing at him. He grimaced, but he figured that there were worse things that could happen to him. The sound of his dirk scraping out of its sheathe was the first thing to reach his ears. The second was the sliding sound of the gelatinous monsters sliding speedily toward him. He recalled the pointers that Sarah had given him about the creatures, and when the first one reached him, he swiped through the solid nucleus of the mass. That slime immediately slid into the ground, unable to hold itself up any longer.

One of the others paused, wary, aware that this was no easy prey. The last, however, drove in without missing a beat, hitting Ryu with an extension of itself. Ryu shrugged off the blow to his chest easily and cut off the extension, making the slime stop. He wasted no time letting his dirk find the center of the mass to dispose of the second slime. He grimly turned to face his last opponent. There was a short standoff, but the slime moved within range and Ryu struck once again, and also once again felled it in one shot.

He calmly cleaned the dirk of the sticky fluid that was the slimes' bodies and replaced it in his sheathe satisfied with himself. He felt a lot less nervous about being out in the middle of the plains, all alone. As long as he could keep the monsters at bay, he should be able to get to a town, and if he was able to make it to a town, he should be able to find his way to Wyndia. It didn't seem so impossible anymore.

Ryu continued on his trek, having another four hours pass in silence. He met another group of slimes, which he dispatched easily, and a pair of Plain Imps. The Imps gave him a spot of trouble, and he was forced to pause and have lunch and dress the cut he had received on his left shoulder. He remained hungry, but he pushed himself through it. He had collected a bit of money, and the Imps had some on them (they loved shiny things), so that when he did finally reach a town, he would be able to purchase food and a room. He wasn't sure he looked forward to a night in an inn, but he figured it would be better than a night against another wall.

After the pause, it was only a half hour before he came within sight of a town. He grinned to himself. His first goal was in sight. He picked up the pace a bit, though it still took him another hour before he reached the gate to the town wall. It was a rather shabby wall of wood, but Ryu imagined that it kept out the slimes, imps and other animals that came to call. He went into the town underneath the gate and sighed contentedly… only to be pushed out of the way by a middle-aged man.

"Don't stop in the middle, son!" The man called, not unkindly. And Ryu nodded, though the man was no longer paying any attention to him, and continued walking through the town, looking up at all of the new sights that he was presented. There were quite a few people bustling around as the sun fell slowly to the horizon to Ryu's left. More than once Ryu had to jump out of the way at the last second, and a few times he even smacked into someone else. After muttered apologies, he moved on quickly, not wanting to cause a scene or go any more red.

Ryu searched around until he found an inn he trusted. Well, at least from the outside. It wasn't too shabby, and not too crowded within. He walked in and up to the proprietor.

"One room, please," he said, the only thing sticking above the desk being his head.

The proprietor looked down at him and cocked his head to one side. "Just one of you?" he asked, but his face cracked into a smile that Ryu was not entirely sure he liked.

Ryu backed up a step. "Yessir. Just for me, thanks."

The proprietor controlled himself and schooled his face to a more neutral expression, but Ryu was already wary. "Well, that will be 22 zenny. Can you cover that?"

Ryu narrowed his eyes. "Yes, I can." He brought out the money and placed it on the counter. Then the man gave him a key.

"Room number six. There's a wash out back if you feel you need it. I'll need the key back by noon tomorrow. You got all that?"

Ryu assented, feeling a little like he was being talked to as more of a child than he was. He was _twelve_, that was plenty old enough to be taken relatively seriously. Of course, none of the people around him were Ascents… or at least they didn't look it. Being an Ascent himself, he would be a nasty surprise to someone who might try something. Ryu took the key and went through the main area of the bar and out the back door.

When Ryu had left to wash himself, a big man with a thick brown beard and mustache entered the establishment and walked up to the proprietor. The man behind the counter cowered backward against the big man's blue stare. "Is room number five available tonight?" The proprietor nodded, his expression remaining stricken. "I'll take it. Here's your fifteen zenny for the room, less the seven you cheated that boy, makes eight, hmm?" He slammed the money down on the table. "My key, please."

After getting his key, the big man went up the stairs and into his room. Ryu went into his own room without ever seeing the big man that was staying in the room next to his.

* * *

Ryu woke up to the sound of talking out in the hallway. They were whispers, but they were easy for him to hear for some reason. Ryu didn't think on that too much, and simply rose and dressed silently and made sure his dirk was within reach.

"Heh. We got a little boy this time," a whispered voice declared.

"A little boy? Why the heck is a little boy renting a room all by himself?" This was a second voice.

"I didn't ask; we don't need to know, do we? Just take his stuff and run him out of town like we do all of the other ones we're able to get in here."

"Just whatever you do," the second voice warned, "don't make any noise. If Bunyan wakes up…"

"I don't care about that bastard!" the first voice snarled. The other two promptly shushed him. When he resumed speaking, he was whispering again. "He can kiss my sorry ass if he feels like it. We'll take the boys stuff, run him out of town and tell Bunyan the boy left early. Since the boy is new in town and Bunyan's been here a few days, they aren't together."

There was a slight pause. "Alright, let's do it. Quiet now."

Ryu readied himself behind the door, beyond the reach of where the door would swing. It was quietly unlocked and then the door opened equally quietly. Three men slipped in, two armed with daggers, the other Ryu recognized as the proprietor. All three moved quickly to surround the bed. Ryu made a move to go through the door, but the floorboards creaked. All three men jumped and looked at him. Ryu groaned.

"Well, well, well," the proprietor said quietly, no longer bothering to whisper. "It seems that our little boy is up." The other two men began to approach with daggers. "Do not resist us, and we will let you live."

Ryu had other ideas. When the two men were in range, Ryu drew his dirk and in one quick motion had disarmed one of the men of his dagger. It clattered to the floor away from everyone. All three men were surprised enough that Ryu was able to bring his dirk to bear on the second one's dagger before he could react. However, his grip was just strong enough to keep the dagger in his hand. Once they had gotten over the shock, the fight actually began.

The proprietor backed up to remain out of the fray, while the two men advanced further. Ryu took a punch to the side while he deflected the dagger, then turned with the dirk on the puncher. He cried out sharply, though it was obvious he had tried to hold in as much volume as possible, as he received a slash in his side. Blood began to drip out of his side, despite the hand that was held against the wound to staunch it. The one with the dagger didn't pause, and went in to score a similar hit on Ryu. Ryu, however, couldn't spare the hand, and let himself bleed in order to better defend himself further.

Ryu struck out again and again, desperately trying to get them to back off him, but he could never manage to wound the one with the dagger. The other one, the unarmed one, fell to the ground after being stabbed twice more, once in the center of his stomach. But when Ryu scored the felling blow, he saw his world go red and fell to the ground too, aware that his arm was bleeding profusely. Then the red faded to black. A familiar void, and Ryu reached out, knowing the light would be there. It was much easier this time to find the light.

What the three men saw, as well as the big man from across the hall as he stormed into the room, was the blue-haired boy fall to the ground, but the instant the boy struck the floorboards there was a flash of white, and in the boys place was standing a dragon whelp. Both the proprietor and the other man still standing backed away from the little dragon. The man with the dagger tried to leave through the door, but the big bearded man reached up to his neck and deftly snapped it. He fell to the ground, and the only one left was the proprietor. The whelp charged and slashed the man twice, earning cries of pain as well as blood. For the coup de grace, he reached back and impaled the man on his arm. Then the whelp backed up two steps, letting the man fall.

The big bearded man watched the whelp intently. The whelp looked over his shoulder at the big man, and took a defensive stance, but the man shook his head. "I'm not here to hurt you, young one." The whelp relaxed, then fainted to the floor. The big bearded man rushed across the room and picked up the whelp easily, then gathered the remaining belongings in the room. There wasn't much. Then he carried the whelp across into his own rooms and set him down on the bed in there, placing his stuff in a neat pile beside him. He then closed the door and locked it behind him.

He growled to himself. _This is bad_, he thought, _A Dragon Ascent child, outside of the town of Ness. It was because of things like this that they aren't permitted to do that. And by the decision of the Dragon Ascent Elders themselves._ He walked over to his own pack and pulled out a bedroll. _I will have to get the story from him in the morning… because if something is wrong with the town of Ness…the King needs to know about it._

And then Bunyan laid himself down and fell asleep once again.


	4. I:4: Someone Who Can Help

**Act 1: Childhood**

**Chapter 4: Someone Who Can Help**

**Party: Ryu, Bunyan**

This time Ryu awoke suddenly, sitting up from his position on the bed. He found himself breathing hard, but he could remember nothing about his dream. He looked around the room, his sense of direction not working as well as it had, but when his eyes rested upon the large man with the thick brown beard in the corner on a bedroll, he began to remember the events of the previous night. He rubbed his eyes to try to get himself straight, then got out of the bed and stretched.

The man on the bedroll sat up then. "I wondered when you would wake," he said, getting up without another sound despite his bulk. "Quite an evening you had there, hmm?"

Ryu nodded. "I imagine you have questions about it, sir."

The man laughed, and the laughter was so full and free that Ryu could not suppress a sudden feeling that this man could definitely be trusted. "Ah-ha! I prefer not to be called 'sir' by those I would count as friends, young one. My name is Bunyan, and I would be happier if you used it." Bunyan began to roll up his bedroll so that it could be packed once again. "But yes, I do have questions for you."

Ryu sighed and he walked over to the pile of stuff that was his. "I wonder where I should start then. I don't know how familiar you are with the history of-" Ryu began, but to his surprise, Bunyan cut him off waving a big hand at him to get his attention.

"I know all about what race you hail from, young one," Bunyan said with a hint of the laughter still in his voice. "And you have nothing to fear from me. I am one of the few who are familiar with the secret. But my question is why you are outside of Ness when you are so young?"

Ryu gaped at Bunyan. He _knew_. It was one thing to know the existence of the Dragon Clan, but it was quite another to know that the young Dragon Clan members were kept inside Ness entirely until they were able to manifest their dragon form on command. And they only left before the age of 18 on pilgrimages. But Bunyan must have known some of this, as shown by his incredibly pointed question.

Ryu didn't particularly want to voice the answer aloud, as he would then be admitting that everything that had happened in the past two days had indeed happened… but there was no way out of answering when it was rather obvious that Bunyan intended no harm to him and could, if Ryu resisted, throw him around like a rag doll. So Ryu finally looked down and spoke in low tones. "Ness is… Ness is gone, Bunyan. I am on my way to Wyndia to inform the King of what had happened there."

Bunyan's face did not change, though he did study Ryu for a moment. Ryu looked up into his eyes, then when Ryu realized that he was crying, he turned around forcefully and wiped the salty water from his face and eyes angrily. After a moment of facing the bed, he heard Bunyan speak again. "I can help you with that, young one."

Ryu spun around again, tears forgotten, eyes wide. "Really?" he asked. What a stroke of luck! The ability to get to Wyndia had been hanging on finding someone who was willing to show or tell him the way. This way he even had a companion who seemed to know what he was doing.

Bunyan nodded. "Indeed, I think it would be best if you stuck with me. There are a few things I need to do here, then a few errands on the way to Wyndia, but I promise I'll get you there as soon as I can. Are we agreed?" And then Bunyan stuck out a large hand to shake. Ryu hesitated only for a moment. _He seems like the most likely candidate for someone to trust._

Bunyan let go of Ryu's hand and slung his own pack across his shoulders. "Stay here for a moment, young one-"

"My name is Ryu, Bunyan."

Bunyan laughed. "Ryu it is, then, young one." (Ryu sighed) "Stay here for a moment, I'll be back in a few minutes, and then we'll get on to our first stop." And with that, Bunyan left the room. Ryu turned back to his pack and took out a meager breakfast to eat while he waited for his new "guide" to return.

* * *

It was not long after Ryu had finished off his little breakfast that Bunyan came back into the room. "All right then, young one," (Ryu rolled his eyes) "Off we go." And he beckoned for Ryu to follow him. Ryu slung his own pack over his shoulder and followed Bunyan out the door. In the corridor were quite a few men in armor. They paid little attention to Bunyan and Ryu leaving, though they were poring over the room that Ryu had originally paid for.

"Oh! That reminds me…" Bunyan said, reaching into his pocket without breaking his stride, "the innkeeper cheated you in the room rate, and I got the excess zenny back from him later." He handed the seven zenny in question to Ryu, who blinked at it for a moment. But Bunyan and Ryu kept walking, and walked down the stairs of the inn and outside into the air. As they turned away from the inn, Ryu looked back to see two of the men in armor guarding the door and preventing a young couple from entering.

"Bunyan, who were they?" Ryu asked, turning back around to look at the road ahead of them.

"They're Wyndian Knights. They are responsible for keeping the peace everywhere in the province… with a few exceptions of course." Bunyan paused a moment, thinking. Then he continued. "They are good people, and if we happen to be separated, find one of them, and they would be happy to escort you to Wyndia on the next caravan that they send."

Ryu nodded. Yet another contingency plan. He winced as he thought of his father. At least his father had been away from Ness at the time; there was a good chance that he was still alive.

Bunyan and Ryu left the town via the west entrance. They had gone a bit of a ways and had a few easily taken care of encounters with the local breed of slime when Bunyan struck up conversation again. "We're on our way to a small thieves' hideout. This particular group has become an annoyance to the town of Chaive, which we just left. We're going there to pick up an item, and then we're leaving to head north towards the Windy Mountains. We have a few stops to make other than this before we can cross the mountain range to Wyndia, but I'm guessing we could get there in the next three weeks."

Ryu nodded as Bunyan touched all of the important points. Despite the small amount of words, it was a lot to take in.

The pair of travelers camped for the night just to the west of the hideout, by Bunyan's reasoning. Finding no need to doubt his word, Ryu slept well that night, though he did insist on taking a watch. Bunyan relented eventually, letting him take second watch… but never woke him up. Ryu was rather miffed at the older man, but he couldn't help but feel a hint of gratitude for the full night's rest. After all, he was still recovering from the last usage of his Dragon powers.

It was only an hour's walk from the campsite that Bunyan and Ryu had set up to the hideout. Of course, they came upon the hideout in a very surprising way to Ryu (though after seeing Bunyan not flinch upon the arrival of the four thieves that met them in the middle of a copse of trees, the boy was certain that the bearded man simply was never shocked or surprised).

The leader of the four thieves spat at Bunyan's feet. "Well? What're ya doin' here, hmm?" he asked in his gruff voice. Bunyan only responded by spitting at the leader's feet in the same way that the leader had spat at him. The staring continued for a minute or two, then the thief nodded, as if to himself. "Go on ahead then, friend." And he signaled to the three others, and they were suddenly gone. Ryu tried to look around for them, but stopped when he felt Bunyan's hand on his shoulder.

"Now don't go insulting them by figuring out where they hide, young one," Bunyan said in a low voice. "Just stick to my side and everything should go smoothly." Ryu nodded stiffly. This was a little bit of a hair-raising experience for him. He was walking into a thieves' den! He wouldn't have even dreamed that he would be walking unopposed into a thieves' den in his lifetime, much less at his age.

Of course, he didn't exactly expect to have been outside Ness at all at his age.

After a few minutes walking through what was obviously the only path through the dense thicket, they came upon a small house. There were three men playing cards on a round wooden table to one side, while the tree on the other side was massive enough to cast the entire area into shadow, even as the morning sun was heading towards high noon. There was a sharp cliff on each side heading down to a creek, the cliff face covered with thick forestry. Ryu was rather impressed. He couldn't think of any way to find this place other than the way that he and Bunyan had arrived.

Bunyan led the way straight to the door of the house. Ryu simply followed him and when Bunyan went inside, Ryu ducked in as well. Once inside, they found it to be sparse of furnishing except for a simple bed in one corner and a table on the opposite end of the room. On the other side of the table was a man sitting in a chair. Even though there were candles providing light, they were conveniently placed as to keep this man's face in shadow. The long faces of the two men that stood behind him at attention were not given such consideration, and Ryu could clearly see the scar that marred the left cheek of the man on the right side.

Bunyan walked up to the table and stopped, bowing a little bit. "We meet again, Pethtol."

The shadowed man let out a short laugh. "What is it that you want this time, Bunyan? Gonna tell us to play nice?"

Bunyan looked up a bit, trying to study the face despite the fact that it was hidden in the shadow. "I would hardly be out here alone to affect your operation."

There was another short laugh, but it was cut off even more quickly than the first. "True. But you will have to tell me what you came for. You aren't the type to come out here for a chat."

"You're right," Bunyan agreed. "I'm here to collect part of the Wyndian Royal Treasure that you have here."

This actually seemed to give the shadowed man pause. "I didn't know we had such a piece on us. What would it be?"

Bunyan's face was impassive. "A faded blue-grey stone that is cold to the touch and shaped like a crescent."

There was another pause. "And that's all you want?"

Bunyan nodded slowly, keeping his face precisely the same.

The snap of fingers could be heard, and the man on the left disappeared into the small section of the house behind them that was also in shadow. In a moment, he was back, holding a stone that perfectly matched the description of Bunyan's. He placed it on the table. He then stood back and resumed his original position. Bunyan did not move to take it. Ryu thought that Bunyan was waiting for something more to happen. And in a moment, something else did.

"And what do you have in return?"

Bunyan reached into his sack and pulled out a golden orb. It was glowing. He held it forward, but did not place it on the table.

"Well? What is it, man?" the shadow asked impatiently.

"It's a Gold Marble. It repels monsters," Bunyan replied. "I imagine that you would have use for the ability to keep monsters at bay for some sort of operation you have."

There was a pregnant pause, and Ryu began to fidget a bit. He felt Bunyan's hand rest on his shoulder again, and he forced himself to stop. Everything that was going on was going straight over his head. Finally, there was another snap of the fingers and the hiss of something releasing. Bunyan then placed the Gold Marble in the place of the blue stone that he picked up and placed in his rucksack. He immediately tied it shut and patted his sack where he had placed it.

"A pleasure, as always," Bunyan said, bowing his head again. Ryu followed suit, and then followed Bunyan out of the house. Once outside, they walked quickly forward, at a much faster pace than they had entered the area with. They were on the main path again when they heard a scuffle ahead of them. Bunyan unlimbered one of the axes that he kept on his belt and ran with it in his hand. Ryu unsheathed his sword and ran alongside the larger man.

When they reached the place that they had been accosted by the four men originally, they found two of the men lying in a pool of red, obviously dead, and the other two fighting for their life against a giant blue monster. It had an orange mane and green eyes. It looked somewhat like a lion if the coloring was ignored, and the fact that it was a bit smaller than the lion.

The two thieves noticed the arrival of Bunyan and Ryu running in and seemed to take heart at the reinforcements. But Bunyan helped the monster at first, distracting the two thieves by attacking them, and the monster wasted no time felling them. Then it turned toward Bunyan and Ryu, and Ryu parried the claw that came after him neatly. He was quickly becoming adept at sword vs. claw fighting.

Bunyan knocked the claw away when it went after him and tried to move around the creature, but it blocked him. "Ryu!" he yelled above the challenging roar that the creature issued at that moment. "Try and get around to the other side! We just need to escape!" Ryu nodded, though he knew that Bunyan probably had not seen it. With Bunyan moving toward the left, blocking the creatures attacks on that front, and Ryu moving to the right and threatening there, the creature was forced to turn more and more to face both threats.

Finally, when both Bunyan and Ryu were basically on the edges of the path, the monster sniffed the air and bounded away in between the two of them towards the inner copse of the thieves' hideout. Ryu watched him go for a moment, then ran on. When they had gotten a good distance away, Bunyan signaled a rest. Ryu collapsed on a conveniently placed rock. "I thought you said…" he gasped, "that the Gold Marble… would prevent monsters from… coming near!"

Bunyan was breathing deeply, but did not show any other sign of fatigue. "I lied," he said after a moment's hesitation, "That stone, when activated, gives off a pleasing scent to monsters of the race of that one we managed to evade back there."

Ryu looked at him with narrowed eyes of suspicion. "So you were actually…"

Bunyan nodded. "I was shutting down their operation. I had my reasons, Ryu, and I can't explain them to you." He reached down and ruffled the boy's blue hair. "Now we'll rest a bit. Once you're ready, we'll be heading north, through the Lunaire Forest to the northern plains looking for a town by the name of Angel's Creek."

"Bunyan, what is that stone that you got from the thieves before you set the monster on them?" Ryu asked.

But all Bunyan did was ruffle his hair again.


	5. I:5: Powers of a Wayward Moon Child

**Act 1: Childhood**

**Chapter 5: Powers of a Wayward Moon-Child**

**Party: Ryu, Bunyan ???**

Directly north of Chaive was the Lunaire Forest. It had been looming up on the horizon all day when Ryu finally asked Bunyan what it was. Bunyan explained that the forest, which connected all the way to the hideout of the thieves that they had routed the night before to the west, and to the coastline to the east, was once inhabited by one of the Clans. When Ryu asked what Clans were, Bunyan sighed. "Do you really know nothing about the Clans, young one? I guess you don't. I thought of all people, someone who _was_ a member of a Clan would know what they are. Certainly the Wing Clan knows who they are…" but Ryu still looked blankly up at him. Bunyan grunted unpleasantly. "I wish I could tell you, but I know I'd botch it up. It's probably better if a Wing Clanner in Wyndia told you."

Ryu sighed, but nodded in defeat. He knew about the Dragon Clan, but really the only thing he knew about anything beyond the small world that he had lived in for most of his life was the general direction of the city of Wyndia, and how that was the place that he was supposed to go to if something happened. He would have learned more about the outside world had he had any lessons after the awakening of his latent powers. Three years of sword training, body training, and possibly most importantly, the first geography training. The Dragon Clan did not congregate in Ness entirely for various reasons. Ryu now guessed that one of them was what was happening right then. There were members of the Clan that were out and about, and they might still be alive.

Oh, how Ryu hoped they were still alive. Like his father… maybe things would be better once he saw his father again. And maybe his father would be able to reach him in Wyndia. What was going to happen to him once he got to Wyndia and the King was told of the predicament in Ness? Would he wait there for his father? Would he go out and meet with his father? He knew that nothing really remained for him to do in Ness by himself. He could be helpful if someone like his father or another one of the Elders were back, and he could do manual labor to help rebuild the town, or perhaps lend his recently awakened magical powers to the reconstruction of the defenses. Why had they fallen anyway?

He was interrupted from his musings when Bunyan unlimbered the axe at his belt and began to walk a little more carefully. "We're entering the forest now, Ryu, be sure to keep an eye out for trouble. More than just simple monsters reside here, some of them poisonous." Ryu nodded his understanding and released his dirk from its sheathe. Both of the travelers waded carefully onto the main path of the forest, alert for any kind of disturbance that may try to interfere with their travels.

It turned out that they were right to be alert. They met quite a few nasty critters while making their way through the foliage. The most notable were the giant wasps that plagued them, though only occasionally. Ryu was poisoned once by one of the wasps, but Bunyan had an antidote for him after Ryu's counterstroke cleanly finished the offending monster off. As the day came to a close, Bunyan picked a clearing that he said was roughly halfway through the forest to set up camp. The camping went without a hitch, as there was a special torch that Bunyan had that would repel any monsters from coming within a certain distance of it. Unfortunately, it was impossible to carry the damn thing lit, so they could only use it while they were stopped. Ryu decided he didn't mind that too much. He thought he was good with a dirk before, but now he was getting much better.

And he could feel himself strengthening too. He was happy with his progress as a fighter, as the stronger he became the less likely it was that he would transform at an inopportune moment and reveal his Clan. It also helped that Bunyan was fighting alongside him and sometimes redirected the monsters' anger at him with well placed blows and maneuvers. So Ryu felt that it was okay that the Torch could only let him sleep peacefully, not necessarily travel peacefully. Thus, he laid down inside the tent completely sure that nothing would go wrong that night.

He did not notice that Bunyan was still sitting by the Torch and the cookfire, intending to remain awake until something happened.

* * *

She didn't exactly know why she was heading south.

Maybe it had something to do with being scared. The Wyndian Knights weren't ever stooped to the position of actively looking for children that were left on the streets to put in orphanages, but they definitely grabbed her when they had the chance. She had only begun to become adept at dodging them, and she felt that she was too known in the town of Angel's Creek… it was time to move south… but she knew that this was more than that. She had been thinking along those lines for a while now, but she had never made a move until just recently. It was like a smell in the air.

Unfortunately, that meant traveling through Lunaire Forest. She had become decent with knives and was an excellent shot with her short bow, so the monsters that inhabited the plains in northern Wyndia were a nuisance, but nothing she couldn't handle as long as she kept alert. And she knew from her eight years as an orphan just how alert she needed to be. At all times. Particularly with her "problem".

Oh, how she loathed her problem.

She remembered once being told that her "problem" wasn't all that uncommon in the "old days", when the Clans were still around. But that didn't change the fact that it was an incredible pain on a regular basis in her life. In fact, she would have gladly settled in some sort of orphanage if she didn't get the looks of fear and revulsion from the staffers. All she wanted was to settle, but her "problem" prevented it. She knew what people called her behind her back, as if she were something from a myth they heard only once, if at all in its entirety. They called her "werewolf".

She guessed it was mildly accurate, though the words stung the most when she was more attributed to the myth that it only happened on nights of the full moon. No, if she were only that lucky. At least the part of the myth that would make it a real ugly problem wasn't true. She did have control of herself in her wolf form. It was different, yes, but she never attacked any humans or anything like that. Generally she used the form to easy decimate monsters. Took out her rage at her "problem" by using it to be destructive against destructive beings. But did townspeople or other people in the orphanage notice the fall in monsters around the town? No, they just noticed the damn howling.

As night fell, the girl, thirteen years old and just beginning to change in body, dressed in rags that often matched her dirty brown hair but were nothing like her blue eyes, changed into a wolf that shared the same color of hair, and strangely, the same color eyes as well. This happened just as she entered the forest. She didn't mind; she had been planning to sleep just on the edge of the forest in her wolf form, which could easily take out monsters that tried to disturb her sleep. Unfortunately, this was one night that her nose picked up something. _Something_ that she couldn't identify, but knew she had to go after. It was a stronger version of the smell that was forcing her south. Maybe she was getting closer to what was driving her forward?

The young wolf bounded through the trees of the Lunaire Forest just to the side of the path. She met a few monsters along the way, but the ones that got in her way met a nasty end. The wolf didn't even stop for food, to eat a kill or two that actually had meat, it was so focused on the smell that was driving it forward without mercy. She began to sweat through her thick fur, and tire, but there was nothing she could do. She had to keep running, keep running. Finally, when she felt she would pass out from this force that was only strengthening as she got closer, she spotted the light of a camp ahead, and she just _knew_ that the smell came from there.

She arrived on the edge of the camp and looked in. There was a campfire as well as a tall torch in the center of the clearing, and there was a big man sitting by the fire. Great. Another _human_ who would derisively slap her confidence down and send her on her way. But the smell was _here_. But _what was it!_ There was a tent behind the big man, but she could see no way to get past the big man by stealth to get into the tent, and it was taking every ounce of self control she possessed to keep herself stationary outside of the camp. She didn't want to disturb the big man, mainly because he looked strong enough to kill her in wolf form. She didn't wonder until later whether or not this played a part in her being able to stand still while she searched for a way to get to that smell.

After stalking the entire camp silently and just far enough away that the big man didn't pay her any mind, thinking her just another one of the monsters that inhabited the forest, she had determined that the smell was not in the tent, which was a shame, because she felt that she would be able to get in and out of the tent before the big man could do anything about her presence. It seemed like the big man was, himself, the source of the smell that she was after. She found this annoying, because that meant that she would probably have to submit herself to the man's scrutiny after all. Resigning herself to her fate, she made sure to plan her escape route before hopping lightly into the camp's light.

The big man's gaze immediately lighted upon her. She remained ready to flee, but slowly approached him, trying to determine where exactly the smell came from. The big man started to move toward the satchel he kept on his back. It was not sudden, as the man seemed afraid to make a sudden movement… like he wanted her to trust him and knew she didn't. That was disturbing in and of itself, but the smell came first, and the thought of this was driven from her mind almost immediately. Out of the satchel came a faded blue stone, about the size of her head, shaped like a crescent. Shaped like a crescent moon. After a moment of shock, the wolf looked up to the sky that could actually be seen in the clearing of the forest to find the exact replica of that stone in the sky as the moon. She couldn't help herself. She howled.

And that was the last thing she knew before blackness.

* * *

Ryu awoke the next morning rested, feeling ready to complete the travel through the forest. He looked around the tent… and noticed that Bunyan was not with him. A little confused, Ryu exited the tent to find Bunyan watching a young girl that was asleep in front of him.

Wait… what?

Ryu walked over to Bunyan and the prone girl with a confused look on his face. When he arrived, Bunyan looked at him and put a finger to his lips. Ryu understood and didn't ask any questions. He instead looked over the girl. She was dressed in brown and dirty rags… though at closer examination it was a heavily torn shirt and slacks that had been patched up with any brown cloth that could be found. Patched many times. Her hair was very dirty, but it could be determined that it was a dark brown color. Her face was slightly tanned, but definitely drew a contrast from the brown that dominated the rest of her figure. She seemed to be just a hair older than Ryu.

Bunyan motioned for Ryu to go on the other side of her, so Ryu did. Right after he turned around to face the girl again, her eyelids fluttered and she groaned. Bunyan showed no visible reaction to this, but Ryu thought he was even more alert than he had been a second ago, if that was possible. The girl opened her blue eyes, causing another stark contrast with the rest of her coloring, and gasped. "Who are you! What do you want with me! I won't go with you, I sw-" she was cut off by Bunyan, who calmly put his hand over her mouth.

"I'll start with who we are. I'm Bunyan, and this is Ryu. We're traveling to Wyndia by way of a couple stops to pick up a few things. Ryu here is on his way there because no orphanage will take him, and I know a place there where he could live and earn his living. You… I did not expect to meet you so soon, but I am glad that I prepared for it. There have been rumors of a young girl like you in northern Wyndia lately, and I wanted to make sure that you were properly taken care of."

"What is that supposed to mean!" the girl spat as Bunyan finally removed his hand from her mouth. "'Properly taken care of'? I can take care of myself!"

Bunyan remained kneeling at her side, his presence combined with Ryu's preventing the girl from running from the camp, which Bunyan was apparently afraid of her doing. "I know, little one, that you can take care of yourself in normal circumstances, as could young Ryu over here. But there are strange happenings in southern Wyndia right now, and it would be better if we had the people like you…"

"People like me!" the girl shouted, effectively cutting Bunyan off, "Of course! No one wants people like me around! They think I'm a pest, a _monster!_"

"We do not," Bunyan said, his voice still calm, "There are some people after the clan that Ryu here is a member of, and we are afraid that they might be after people like you too."

The girl's eyes narrowed. "Who's _we_?"

Bunyan let out a deep breath. "The Wyndian Royal Family and its staff."

The girl blinked. "And… and they'll take me in? They'll give me a place where no one will think of me as a freak… as a monster? Right. As if that could happen."

Bunyan smiled. "Of course they can't control everyone, but there is a place in Wyndia that is designed specifically for people like you and Ryu. The staff there will know the truth about you; you are no monster. I won't treat you like one, and Ryu won't either. Won't you, Ryu?"

Ryu blinked and stammered. "Oh, uh… right, uh… of course… uh, of course not…" He had no idea this place existed. Was that going to be where he stayed after he told the King what was going on? But he wanted to find his father!

Bunyan continued, "You two aren't the only ones we'll have there. But it's got private rooms, places for both of you to transform," the girl blinked up at this, and gave Ryu a strange look, "and you'll get training to get a job in the city somehow when you're older. This is all so that you can support yourselves and such. The King can tell you more about it when we get there. Would you like us to take you there, little one?"

The girl paused for a moment, then looking at Ryu she said "I guess it can't hurt to try it out, right?"

Bunyan grinned. "Excellent. If you don't like it there, we'll release you when we think you're ready to take on the world, but I have a feeling that won't happen." He walked over to the tent and started taking it down.

The girl turned to Ryu as she got up. "You transform too?" she asked.

"Yes," Ryu answered, "I take it you transform as well?"

"Yes," the girl said bitterly, "it's been the worst part of my life for a very long time. How do you deal with transforming every night?"

Ryu blinked. "Uh…" There goes the chances that she was another Dragon Clanner, though without him recognizing her as one of the people who was in Ness with him, he figured this was natural. "That's not the way my transformation… uh, works," he said, feeling a little lame.

The girl looked at him funnily. "Well… I guess we'll be learning about each other's transformations…"

Ryu nodded, a smile tugging on the edges of his lips. "I guess we will." Ryu and the girl walked towards the tent that Bunyan had nearly finished taking down and was dividing the supplies into three packs. Ryu turned his head to look at her again. "Did you ever tell us your name?"

"No," she said, "you can call me Luna, though."


	6. I:6: A Dragon and a Wolf?

**Act 1: Childhood**

**Chapter 6: A Dragon and a Wolf?**

**Party: Ryu, Luna, Bunyan**

Most of the rest of the trip through the forest was uneventful. With the extra pair of hands and the bow that they wielded, the party had even less trouble with monsters than they had on the way through the first half of the forest the previous day. Near the edge of the forest, however, there was a giant plant-like monster that blocked the way. It had a main green trunk almost like a torso with little roots that let it scuttle about the forest floor. It had many small green appendages, and a flower in the position that might be the "head".

Bunyan immediately cursed and set his feet. Luna didn't waste any time firing her first shot at the thing, but it sailed high. Ryu set his feet when he was up next to Bunyan. The thing let out some sort of sound that the party didn't understand and charged. Bunyan charged too, while Ryu went for a flanking maneuver. Luna fired again, this time scoring a hit in one of the petals. There was a goo that came out of the spot where the arrow was lodged, but otherwise the plant thing didn't seem affected. However, the slash that Bunyan left in the trunk let out more goo and seemed to make the plant focus most of its attacks on the big man.

Luna flitted around the edges of the path, getting in shots when she knew she wasn't going to hit either of her companions. Bunyan was taking the brunt of the creature's attacks, thankfully being able to parry a few, but he couldn't block all of the whipping appendages at once. Ryu went in for flanking shots, trying to affect the creature without ever really taking its whole attention. It had been the strategy that they had been employing every time they met a particularly large enemy. Thankfully, large monsters didn't often come in groups, so it had served them well so far.

Bunyan had taken a particularly nasty hit from one of the appendages, and had to fall back to apply a salve. He yelled over the creature's screech as Luna took advantage of the opening to fire an arrow directly into the trunk of the monster, "Ryu! Take point! I need to rest a moment!" He fell back, and Ryu slashed deeply through the monster with his dirk. The creature screeched and spun around to "face" him, though Ryu couldn't tell the facing side from the back side. Luna, thankfully, took a more active role since Bunyan was no longer covering a large amount of the plant, and Ryu didn't have to take quite as much of a beating because of the increased archer cover.

However, Ryu slashed his dirk in again, and it became stuck. He tried to pull it out, but the appendages attacked him savagely and he had to back off to try to get a better angle at his lost dirk. Before he had a chance to retrieve it, the plant leaned back, preparing for a strike. Ryu tried to dodge, but the plant released a purple gas from the center of the flower right into his face. He fell backwards unable to breath into the underbrush just off the path. Luna was screaming something and he could hear heavy footfalls somewhere, but all he could think about was air. He needed air!

Ryu's vision faded to black, and he found himself in that strange place again. He knew exactly what to do, and reached savagely for the light. He opened his eyes, fully aware of his claws, teeth, and breath. He focused entirely on the plant, beginning by opening a gaping wound in the front side, sending his dirk flying out of the trunk. Out of the corner of his vision he saw Bunyan catch it deftly, and Luna's wide eyes. But he didn't pay them any mind other than noting their location. Knowing that his claws and teeth could only do so much damage, Ryu dodged deftly out of the way of the stingers and the appendages, and breathed in.

Bunyan grabbed Luna's arm and wrenched her backward as fire poured from the small dragon's mouth, onto the plant thing in front of him. Shielding the young girl from the heat, Bunyan closed his eyes as the onslaught continued and the screeching of the plant thing redoubled… then began to die out. Finally the sound of the flames stopped, though the plant was still making some sounds of its pain. Luna wrenched herself free of Bunyan and fired at the exposed inner trunk of the creature, which promptly shut up and fell over unmoving. Unfortunately, this was not far from the reaction of the dragon, which also fell over. Bunyan and Luna ran over to Ryu's prostrate form, but breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the small movements of breathing.

"Luna, collect the packs and divide Ryu's roughly two thirds to me and one third to you," Bunyan said, picking up the dragon.

"Ryu… that's Ryu?"

"Yes, little one. Do as I ask, because we have a lot of time to talk on the way to Angel's Creek." Bunyan carried the dragon back to where the three had dropped their packs and shuffled through his satchel, which was still open from getting the poison salve as he diagnosed Ryu's condition. Other than a puffed up snout, it seemed like the dragon simply had outdone himself and fainted from exhaustion. Bunyan would have to ask Ryu if he knew anything about his powers, at least enough to explain why he fainted whenever he was forced to transform. He _had_ determined that transforming came from severe injury.

Luna was quiet as she shuffled the items from Ryu's pack into her and Bunyan's. She had a lot of questions in her mind, as the night and the day both had her still completely confused. She hoped that Bunyan would actually answer her questions now. She felt she deserved to know at least some of them, particularly why he had been looking for her in particular, and how he seemed to have been expecting her. She deserved to know that much. About Ryu… well, she felt that today's fight was reason enough for an explanation of some kind. She only hoped that Bunyan would listen to her. He didn't seem the type she could intimidate into giving her what she wanted.

Luna and Bunyan finished with their tasks and shouldered their increased burdens (and Bunyan's including a young dragon) and stepped carefully around the fallen plant monster, which they hoped would be cleared away by scavengers before any other travelers had to use that path. Bunyan and Luna continued into the colder plains of north Wyndia. Luna grumbled a bit and Bunyan smiled. "Sorry for bringing you back through areas you've already trod, little one."

Luna growled. "I'm not happy about going back to Angel's Creek. I just know one of those Knights are gonna grab me and-"

"You just let me worry about them," Bunyan remarked calmly, cutting across the girl, "They won't touch you if you stick close to me."

Luna looked at him accusingly, but she didn't say anything as a response.

* * *

The area north of Lunaire Forest was quite a bit more hilly than the plains south of the forest. The hills made the travel tougher, but it did remind Bunyan, or at least he insisted it did, just how close to the Windy Mountains they were, and how close he was to coming home. After they left the confines of the forest, the greenery around them was slowly disappearing as they continued to head north. The monster population, however, seemed to only increase. With the few hours of light that remained before nightfall, Bunyan spent most of his time making sure that no monster got too close to Ryu's unconscious body and let Luna pick off the enemies at her leisure.

Unfortunately for Bunyan, it was not all the time that Luna and he were repelling monsters from the party. There were quiet times in which he and she were simply walking north towards their destination, and it was then that Luna pestered Bunyan about all kinds of subjects. When she asked about trivial things, such as topography of southern Wyndia or where he lived, he answered her questions completely and, seemingly, without holding anything back. When she asked questions that actually _mattered, _however, her guide wasn't quite as forthcoming.

"What clan is Ryu of?" she asked, this time trying her question while neither of them were looking at the other. She hadn't tried this question yet, and though she wanted to know the answer in its own right, she felt that the follow-up questions, if he were to answer this one, would provide a little more insight into what she wanted to know. She could hear her soft footfalls onto the gravel and rock that had become their path. Bunyan's were naturally much louder, but not quite enough to drown hers out completely.

"I would think he would better be able to answer that question, little one," came the response from the big man striding beside her. _Damn_, she scowled. Foiled once again by his reluctance to answer her questions. Though she did surmise that Ryu _did_ know more about his own clan than Bunyan did, she thought that Bunyan would know enough to give her a rudimentary knowledge, and more importantly, an opening to other questions. But she was once again foiled, unable to use any gained knowledge, as she had none, to bring out yet more.

"Can you tell me _anything!_" she said, exasperated. "You're taking me back to a place I left because it was no longer a place I should stay, and you haven't answered a single one of the questions I've asked you!"

There was more than a beat of silence while she fumed, her anger rolling off of her. She didn't _really_ want to antagonize the man, but she did have a point. She had become curious about this place that Bunyan had mentioned in Wyndia that he would be taking Ryu and her to. Of course, he hadn't answered any questions about _that_ either, instead insisting that she had to find out when she got there. Of all the things to say! Why couldn't she know _now?_ Was it so wrong to start getting familiar with a place that she was going to?

"There are some things I can tell you, that you wouldn't understand without information I _can't_ tell you. There are some things I can't tell you because I have to keep them to myself, and there are some things I can't tell you because I don't know the answers to them myself. I guess all I really _can_ tell you that will help you right now is to tell you the patience is your best ally at the moment; there are many in Wyndia who can tell you what I can't, and that's one of the reasons why I'm taking you there." Luna walked on for a few paces, shocked. That was the best answer she had gotten out of him so far on the journey!

After she recovered, she went with her follow up attack idea. "Can you tell me any of the other reasons why you're taking me to Wyndia?"

Bunyan chuckled. "I already told you that someone has attacked members of Ryu's clan, and I'm afraid that people would be after members of other clans as well. That's one, getting you to a place that can get you some answers is two. Are those enough reasons for you, little one?"

Luna frowned. "I _guess_ so… but it seems like you have more."

Bunyan sighed. "I do. But…"

Luna cut him off, imitating his much deeper voice. "'I can't tell you.' I know. I know." She sighed, soundly defeated in the verbal sparring. And this was the part that she normally had the most success with when she was being passed from orphanage to orphanage. Manipulation by words. It was something most of the orphans her age had learned to manipulate when they were caught. It was something that could be used to escape once caught. And yet Bunyan had soundly defeated her. She scowled, unhappy with that state of affairs.

But at least Bunyan was right about one important thing that she agreed with: getting answers in Wyndia and getting away from people who wanted people like Ryu dead were definitely good enough reasons to travel with Bunyan and Ryu there. She set her face to one more conducive to good relations and continued to travel at Bunyan's side.

When the sun set, Bunyan and Luna halted for a moment to let her transform without being bothered. Once she was in wolf form, she generally did the lion's share of the work when defending the party, while Bunyan stored most of the items that the party had with them on his person. Ryu still hadn't woken up by the time they reached the village, which had been quite a bit after the last bit of light had faded on the western horizon, but he had morphed back into his human form, both making him easier to carry and making it possible for the party to enter the town.

"Stay close to me," Bunyan said to Luna, the wolf's blue stare moving up to the large man's face when he suddenly spoke. "The Knights are not used to weird things as tame wolves, but as long as you don't act aggressive and imply that you are accompanying me, they shouldn't bother with you." The wolf nodded, and the two approached the town exactly like what they were. Two travelers in need of a good night's rest.

The Wyndian Knights only gave them a cursory glance, and seemed to not care about their entry once they recognized Bunyan. And as Bunyan had promised, not a single one of them looked at the wolf strangely. Luna found this a little odd, but she just stuck close to Bunyan and made sure that she didn't grab anyone's attention by doing something stupid.

Bunyan easily found them lodging for the night, asking for a single room with two beds. Luna found this unnerving, as there were three of them, but it seemed to make the innkeeper happy. Once up in the room, Bunyan placed Ryu down on one of the beds and laid his pack and all of the stuff that implied out, including a large bedroll. He locked the door and began spreading the bedroll. "Well?" he asked, not looking up, "Are you going to get into the bed and sleep?"

Luna blinked, finally realizing that he meant for Ryu and Luna to be in the beds, while he took the floor with his bedroll. She guessed it made sense… but she still was slow in hopping onto the bed once she'd cleared her paws of any significant dirt they had picked up in the overland journey. When she curled up on top of the bed and sheets to go to sleep, her last coherent thought was something along the lines of how strange Bunyan was and how she really did want to know more about him and why he was helping them.


	7. I:7: Interlude at Angel's Creek

(Author's Note: Sorry about the delay on this, but for some reason this chapter just didn't want to be written. I've finally toughed it out, and hopefully I can be a little faster on updates again. Please review with any opinions at all, I'd love to hear what you all think of the story.)**  
**

**Act 1: Childhood**

**Chapter 7: Interlude at Angel's Creek**

**Party: Ryu, Luna, Bunyan**

The day dawned clear, with beams of the rising sun peeking into the room taken by the three companions to wake up the one that had been sleeping the longest. Ryu felt rested and strong once again, though he did wish that it wasn't a requirement for the stress to make him pass out every time he was forced to transform. He did figure that part of the reason was the fact that he wasn't going through the normal training that most young Dragon Clanners went through. Of course, he didn't know what that was, and he was going through a lot of stress trying to get to Wyndia, being forced to transform twice since he had last seen Sarah.

Sarah… Ryu wondered what she had done in the battle once he had been thrown clear. She was hopelessly outmatched, and it was a vain hope that she had lived through it or had managed to escape, but Wyndia was the best place to go for an answer to that question. After all, she had received the same instructions from their father when he had left as Ryu had. If she had escaped, then she would probably be also making her way north to Wyndia, and since she was much more confident in her abilities, she probably didn't need any help as Ryu had to make it all the way.

As Ryu rose and began to get ready for the day, Bunyan also woke up and got out of the bedroll on the floor. His bearded face broke into a smile when he saw Ryu up and about. "There he is," the big man said, beginning to roll up his bedroll, "you were asleep this time a lot longer than last time, young man."

Ryu sighed. "I _feel_ better though. You'd think that I'd be getting used to this and getting faster each time it happens."

Bunyan shrugged, lugging the bedroll over to where the rest of his stuff was stored. "I don't imagine it was designed to react to stress so much though. Every time you've transformed, it has been from injury in the interest of survival. We need to get you to Wyndia, where there will be people who know how to proceed with your training. And hers too." He jerked his thumb over at Luna's sleeping form. Ryu took one glance and immediately came to the conclusion that she was a while from waking and facing the day.

"Speaking of stress, it will probably be a good idea for us to take a rest day in this town to calm down. We've been thrown about a bit in the past few days, and a pair of days to recover before facing the mountain range will be good for all of us." He was collecting some belongings into a pouch he kept at his waist even when he wasn't wearing his pack. "We'll be locking the door while we go out and do some shopping and information gathering."

Ryu blinked. "You want us with you when you go information gathering?"

Bunyan chuckled, keeping his laugh in check. Ryu guessed it was because of their sleeping companion. "You two might actually be better at collecting the kind of information I want from this town. One of my main objectives while heading back to Wyndia is… collecting… a particular young man. You and Luna will be better at gathering the necessary information from some people, while I will get the right results from others. You two are good enough to take care of each other and watch each other's backs, right?"

"I think so," Ryu said, nodding, just as a bleary "What?" came from the bed on the other side of the room. Ryu was surprised she was even as coherent as she was.

"C'mon and get up, young one!" Bunyan said, almost literally dragging Luna out of bed, "we weren't up all that late last night!" Luna made a rude sound at him, but began getting ready for the day anyway as Bunyan filled the children in on what he wanted them to do that day.

* * *

"I'm kind of surprised," Luna said to Ryu as they continued walking towards her old hang out in the town, "Bunyan's actually letting us out of his sight!" 

"I don't imagine we can cause all that much trouble around here that he can't fix quickly enough," Ryu replied, "besides, he has a point when he says that none of your old pals will stick around all that long if Bunyan accompanies us."

Luna made a non-committal noise. They were heading towards a particular set of alleyways that had long-served the street rats of Angel's Creek near the center of the town. Being one of the older kids that had been in the group, Luna had been one of the unofficial leaders of the group, looking out for the younger ones and making sure that the whole group had enough supplies to continue to exist. Occasionally they lost some from the group, wanting the relative security of the orphanage but giving up their freedom to roam the town as they pleased.

As the pair arrived at Luna's old haunt, they were challenged by a young man about their age armed with what looked like a slingshot. He hadn't said a word before his eyes widened in recognition. "_Luna!_"

Luna got a wry grin on her face. "That's me! I'm happy you still know who's boss."

The boy looked a little confused. "I thought you were headed south, since the Knights were after you a little harder than they normally are. _And what are you wearing!_"

Luna did a little twirl, showing off her plain tunic and skirt that made her fit in more with the children who still had their parents rather than an orphan. Bunyan had given them to her that morning with the intention of having her wear them. She was a little dubious at first, but when told that if she and Ryu looked more like children that the Wyndian Knights shouldn't think twice about, she quickly dressed… though Ryu didn't really understand the whole encounter between the two. "Better clothes than you. I-" she cut off, looking at Ryu, "_We_ need to talk to some of the gang."

For the first time, the boy took a good look at Ryu. It was such a hard stare that Ryu took a step back. "And who is this bozo you're bringing around here, Luna?"

Luna rolled her eyes. "It doesn't matter; he ain't gonna snitch you know. I speak for him. Or is my word not good enough?" There was an implied threat in the last phrase she said, and Ryu threw her a glance that was ignored.

The boy's attention turned fully back to Luna. His expression showed mostly respect, but Ryu thought he was a little afraid of the girl too. "No… you're word is good enough, Luna, you're a part of us." And with that, the boy let them into the small side alley.

An alley off of an alley, it was extremely cramped. There was a broken brick wall on one side, and it was through this small opening that the two children went to find a few younger children within. Upon entry, the dim lighting caused them to be a little wary of the tall figures, and they all stood up in stances that plainly spoke of a readiness to run away. Luna, however, seemed to dispel their fears with her voice. "Geez! Is that the kind of 'hello' I deserve?"

"Luna?"

"Hey, Mark, Luna's back!"

"Is that really Luna?"

"I thought you'd left the Creek!"

Luna held up her hands. "Not all at once! Yes, I'm back. I went south for a bit, but I came back looking for someone in particular." Ryu was impressed how quickly she cut to the chase, and with a very plausible story too. He didn't know how they would get out of closer scrutiny, but since Luna would be handling most of the talking, he didn't mind really. He was just there for the extra visible firepower, and they could act like siblings on an errand for their parents. "Have any of you seen a guy just taller than us who has really light hair? He runs really fast and I've been looking for him."

Judging from the blank looks on the other street kids' faces, they were not going to have any luck with this avenue. Ryu sighed, though silently. And he was so looking forward to actually doing something to pay Bunyan back for all of his help.

"That's really not all that much information, Luna," a voice came from the back of the room. From Luna's gasp, Ryu determined that this was a person of consequence here.

"Johnny! I'm not the only one who was supposed to have left!" Luna said, a smile coming to her face, "I thought you were on the run from the Knights lately, though you never would tell me why."

The young man came into the light slowly, and Ryu noticed that he was quite a bit older than everyone else in the room, though not to the point that he was fully grown. His black hair made his head almost fade into the shadow of the small room that they were all in. He was tall and gangly, which only helped push his head into the shadow, though his face was easy enough to see. "Well, I've found that it's just as easy to be caught far away from my pursuers as it is to be caught close by. So I decided to take my chances here."

He sat down on the ground and motioned for Luna and Ryu to sit as well. The other kids followed suit quickly, interested in the new goings on. "So you came back looking for someone. Light hair, runs fast, slightly taller than you. How about me? Is he still taller than me, or is he between us?"

Caught, because Luna didn't actually know this, she was silent for a few moments thinking it over. Ryu supplied an answer for her before the silence became awkward. "Between. Closer to you than us… or so he looks from a distance." There, that should be an okay description.

Johnny's attention immediately drew to Ryu, who flinched under the intense gaze. Maybe he shouldn't have said anything? "And who is this friend that you've brought with you, Luna?"

"Ryu," Luna replied succinctly. There was a silence, as Johnny wished for more information, but Luna wasn't giving him any. Eventually, Johnny was the first one to crack and he looked away, shaking his head.

"You always were the stubborn one," Johnny remarked quietly, though loud enough for the room at large to hear. "You speak for him, or the guard wouldn't have let him pass. But who is he? Why let him in here? Are you sure that he isn't a snitch for the child-catchers? They've found quite a few young people to help them wrangle us up. We've abandoned three different hideaways in the past week, and it's becoming harder to keep low. If he snitches about this one, we may be sunk."

Luna's jaw was set firmly. "Ryu is trustworthy. He won't snitch."

Johnny's eyes flashed and his expression became more dangerous. "Your new clothing makes me distrust you, Luna. You walk in with clothing that speaks of not being an orphan, not even as bad as the ones who get taken care of in the orphanage. Your reappearing just screams of the town having caught you and employed you to get to the rest of us." His words were beginning to rile up the rest of the kids in the room.

"How do you think I _didn't_ get caught?" Luna said slyly, her face remaining calm. "With clothes like these, the Knights don't take a second look at me, and everyone else assumes I'm someone's child. Nicking a few threads would probably help you all out. That's one of the things Ryu taught me, to blend in with what people want you to be, which makes you all but invisible to them."

Johnny was unimpressed. "Likely story."

For the first time, Luna's gaze flashed in anger. "We don't work for the snitchers."

Johnny folded his arms across his chest. There was another beat of silence before Johnny growled. "Prove it."

"How?" Ryu spoke up again, "What can we say that will actually convince you that we mean you no harm? We came here simply to see if you've seen this guy, yes. But we don't intend on - what was it? - snitching. This is all just for the two of us." _And Bunyan_, he added silently, _but it's not like they need to know that._

There was then a silence, broken only by the muffled sounds of the distant main thoroughfare. Johnny seemed to be sizing up Luna and Ryu. While Luna stared him down, Ryu found himself trying to look anywhere except for back into the older boy's eyes.

"Perhaps you're right,"Johnny said finally, breaking the silence and making Ryu let out a long breath that he hadn't realized he was holding. He only hoped no one noticed the sign of his nervousness. "I guess I'll just have to find a task for you to do that would get you in trouble with the snitchers-"

Luna cut in, "We're not with the snitchers!"

"-if you were to be with them," Johnny continued, as if Luna never had interrupted him. She huffed and folded her arms across her chest. "I want you to steal something for me."

Luna opened and closed her mouth silently, likening herself to a fish. Ryu studiously ignored it, even though he felt similar feelings inside. _What would Bunyan feel about this?_ "What is it?"

"There's an object in the Orphanage that was taken from me during a… how to put this… _tussle_, and I can't go back to get it anymore. I'm too known around here. It's a weapon, so it's guarded rather well from everyone. Outsiders, orphans, street kids, you name it. But you, Luna, know a place that you can get in that I can't any more. Use that, and you can grab it without being detected, if you're quiet. And if you do all that, I'll be willing to believe that you don't work for the snitchers."

Luna growled. "You know very well that we don't work for the snitchers, _and_ that I would go do this for you anyway! How did you get it taken from you this time, clumsy? I hope that you don't lose it again considering that I won't be around much longer to help you get it anymore."

Johnny's face was impassive. "I have others."

Luna scoffed. "None as good as me." She stood up, and Ryu followed suit. "We'll get your stupid knife-"

"_Dagger_," Johnny corrected icily. His face wasn't quite so impassive anymore.

"_Dagger,_" Luna repeated, scorn evident in her tone, "And don't lose it again." Luna turned and stalked out of the room, Ryu nearly having to jog to keep up with her. The guard outside let them pass out to the alley and then to the main thoroughfare without much fuss, and Luna waited until they were clear of the alley before she let her pent up emotion (though Ryu figured she hadn't pent it up very well in the first place) go completely. "_He's so aggravating!_ I remember _exactly_ why we left at different times and in different directions when we left town last time."

Ryu, without much to say in response to this outburst, wisely didn't comment on it. "So we didn't get any information on this boy that Bunyan is looking for…"

"Because that piece of-" Luna then said a word that Bunyan would definitely not approve of, "-decides that he doesn't _trust _me anymore…"

"…and we get ourselves another task," Ryu finished, deciding that it was probably for the best if he just let Luna blow off steam before they got back to Bunyan. "We can only hope that Bunyan can somehow make this task easier for us with his connections…" As Luna took his pause as permission to rant and rave about the poor manners, poor hygiene and even straying to matters that she really didn't understand, Ryu muttered under his breath.

"So much for a rest day."


	8. I:8: Up the Mountainside

**Act 1: Childhood**

**Chapter 8: Up the Mountainside**

**Party: Ryu, Luna, Bunyan**

When Luna and Ryu met up with Bunyan in the room at the Inn later, they were surprised to find Bunyan in a rather good mood. It was surprising mostly in the direct contrast to the mood they were in. They could apparently get the information that they were looking for, but they had a task that they needed to complete if they were going to get the information. And it wasn't like it was an easy task, either. But Bunyan had apparently had more success than the two young members of the party. He was whistling absently, reading some sort of book on one of the beds. He looked up as they arrived, and smiled at them.

"Well, all done, then?" Bunyan said, closing the book and putting it down next to him on the bed.

Luna snorted and flopped onto the other bed with as little grace as possible. "We didn't get anything out of them, just what they told us we had to do in order to get the information in the first place." And with that, she laid back across the bed.

Ryu looked back at Bunyan, and found his grin to be wider. "You don't have to do the task."

Luna sat up so quickly that she fell off the bed forwards with a couple thumps onto the hard floor. Somehow she stood up and managed an incredulous look at Bunyan without even acknowledging that she had just hurt herself. Ryu merely gaped. "_What?_" they both said, finally getting their jaws moving once again.

"You don't have to do the task they gave you. I have all of the information we need, and we'll be leaving town tomorrow," Bunyan said, his face still split in the smile. Ryu decided that his smile was infectious, because he found that his face had also lit up in a similar smile. He looked over at Luna to celebrate in a glance that they didn't have to go steal that weapon from the Orphanage, but when his eyes lit upon Luna's face, his sudden grin faded. Luna wasn't at all happy, if her face was any indication.

"But I _have_ to, Bunyan!" Luna shouted, her fury written fairly obviously on her face and her tone leaving no doubt of it. "I gave my word! My honor is at stake if I don't do the task!"

Bunyan's smile had faded as well, and he seemed to mull it over. "Well, what task were you given?" So Luna explained, in short and slightly aggravated tones, what they had to do and how that had come to be in the conversation. When she had explained to Bunyan's satisfaction, it was only a moment more before Bunyan shook his head. "We can't do that. I don't have the kind of influence to just ignore the rules that the Orphanage has about weapons it confiscates."

Luna was furious again. "My honor among them will be ruined! You don't understand _anything_ about honor!" she shouted.

"I know enough about honor, little one," Bunyan replied mildly, which only served to make Luna seethe more. "But we can't afford to waste the time necessary to obtain this knife-"

"_Dagger_," Luna spat, gritting her teeth.

Bunyan raised an eyebrow. "-if we're going to catch the boy I am looking for in the next day and get up to Wyndia in the next three." With the mention of Wyndia, Luna seemed to be at a loss as to how to react. "Now you two stay here; I have some preparations that need to be done before we head out to chase him. You may want to sleep, because we're leaving after nightfall to make the innkeeper think I still have that wolf for a pet." Bunyan winked at Luna for the last bit, but she still held the fury on her face. Bunyan didn't look like it fazed him though, and he left through the door of the room without another word.

Once Bunyan's heavy footfalls could no longer be heard over the ambient noise of the city that wafted through the open window, Luna flopped on the bed again letting out a frustrated cry. "Why is that man so _maddening!_"

Ryu hopped up onto the other bed deftly, as he had to his own bed in Ness. He remembered with a pang that the last time he'd done that was before this whole mess had begun. He shook his head to clear it quickly before addressing the other occupant of the room. "Why is this so bad, Luna? We don't have to steal anything this way."

Luna sat up again and narrowed her eyes at Ryu. "You don't understand either," she said accusingly.

Ryu blinked. "Understand _what_, Luna?" What he didn't understand was her behavior, but he was sure that wasn't what she meant.

"Honor!" Luna spat, standing up seemingly by the force of her voice alone, "Both of you don't understand honor! It's the only way to measure a person on the streets, in how much honor that they have. I will not let my honor be dragged in the mud just because you two don't want to do something _hard_."

"We don't want to do the task because we don't have to! We don't want to do it because we want to get to Wyndia!" Ryu shouted, his anger mounting. "We _don't have time to waste on this!_"

"Oh, but we have _all the time in the world_ to chase after this boy that Bunyan's after, huh?" Luna shot back.

"It's got to be important, Luna!" Ryu said, his volume lowering as he delved into things that he was really only guessing about. "I think he meant to find you and help you to Wyndia. And I think he means to find him to take him to Wyndia with us. Just as we need to get there as soon as possible, he does too. At least, that's the only reason I can think of for Bunyan to be taking the time to find him when I…" his voice broke for a moment, but he pressed through with a different sentence. "when he knows why I need to get there quickly."

"What does people attacking _your clan_ have to do with _me, _anyway!" Luna snarled, also dropping her volume, though her rage didn't seem diminished in the least. "He won't tell me _anything_ about why I should go to Wyndia with you, only that I can get my answers there, and I won't be treated like a _monster_! What makes me _need_ to go with you! Why shouldn't I just do the task regardless? It doesn't matter how fast _I_ get to Wyndia. I don't even really know _why_ I'm going there in the first place!"

"I don't know!" Ryu snapped, falling back onto the bed. "Ask Bunyan."

"I did!" Luna sputtered indignantly. "He apparently _doesn't know_ or _can't tell me_. I thought I'd get better luck from you!"

There was silence in the room other than the muffled thump that marked Luna falling back onto her bed in disgust. Both of the children knew that the other wasn't going to be in the mood to talk to the other civilly for a while yet, so taking Bunyan's advice and sleeping was the best option that remained.

* * *

Bunyan returned not long after sunset caused the light streaming in from the partially open window to start fading to red. He found both of the children asleep in their beds and he smiled as he gathered the items he had collected for the journey ahead into the bags he had left in the room. There wasn't going to be any time to rest in any town from then on out; they were off to Wyndia as soon as the boy was found. He shook his head wryly. That boy had caused him no end of trouble. Probably more trouble in that one boy than in every thief and vagabond that had plagued the country of Wyndia in Bunyan's lifetime.

Bunyan woke Ryu, then debated waking Luna until after sunset had completed so that she wouldn't have to go through the change from human to wolf form consciously. He ended up deciding not to wake her, but more for the reason that she was probably still sore about her street honor issue. He would like to let her fulfill her promise, and was… _reasonably_ sure that she could follow up on it on her own… but the Ascent children needed to get to Wyndia as soon as possible. And Bunyan intended for them to make it safely, with all three of the Ascent children accounted for.

Once the sun no longer streamed through the window and only starlight and moonlight lit the room, Bunyan woke the wolf and, having already prepared all of the items they needed to be carried by Ryu and himself, the three set out of Angel's Creek that night. They left by the northern exit and headed straight for the circular mountain range that contained Wyndia's capital within. Once Ryu had determined that they were actually heading toward the mountain range, he remarked, "I thought you said that we were going to go after that boy you had us chasing."

Bunyan smiled through his full beard. "I did, and we are. There's a cave about halfway up the trail through the mountains that he's apparently taken shelter in. It's a very large cave, unfortunately, so it may take some time to explore the cave thoroughly enough to find the young man, but that is what were going to do. Tonight's goal is to make it to the foot of the mountains and get some sleep." Ryu opened his mouth to protest, but Bunyan forestalled him with a raised hand. "I need sleep too, little one, and you'll be wanting more sleep before this night is over, too."

And Bunyan was right. By the time the party had reached the foot of the mountains where the trail began, both of the children were tiring. The monsters had just started to become more difficult when they halted, and Ryu understood why they were halting where they were. The night passed without difficulty, and the next morning the three rearranged the packs so that all three of them could carry the items around, and set off up the path into the mountain range.

Despite the season (as it was just starting to fade from summer into autumn), the amount that they had traveled north combined with the altitude that they were now gaining was starting to take its toll on the temperature. The monsters were even reflecting the colder climate that they were moving into, and at one point in the trip, Ryu spotted a snow shower occurring on the peak of one of the mountains that they were winding around.

With Ryu's healing magic that he had been using since the beginning of his journey, the party was able to come through the tests that the mountain range had been throwing at them. Bunyan started to get a little more creative with his axes, sometimes able to cleave an enemy entirely in halves with a single blow, while Luna revealed that she had a taste of magic as well. Luna's offensive magic saved them at one point when she used a spell that threw a fireball at an ice elemental spectre, causing the spectre to burst into flames and fall off the path and out of the way of the party.

It took the balance of the day to arrive at where Bunyan camped that evening. It was a plateau that connected several mountains instead of a valley that was between most of the other mountains in the area. The plateau acted like a clearing in the forest, perfect for the set up of a camp. One of the mountains had a cave cut into it just around the corner reachable by a very small path. When Ryu wandered toward it in the course of setting up camp, Bunyan called out at him.

"Stay away from the cave, we'll be exploring that plenty enough tomorrow."

Ryu turned around to face Bunyan and the now wolf-formed Luna. "So that's where this guy you're chasing is?"

Bunyan nodded, pulling tight the last rope that held up the tent. "Yup. He's a strange one, to be sure, to pick such a place to hide out, but I imagine he has his reasons." The big man stood up and brushed himself off, looking satisfied with his work. The wolf had suddenly developed an interest in something on the other side of the camp. "Rest up, little ones, our journey through the cave will not be easy."

* * *

Author's Note: I'm sorry about the delay in chapters, but I'm trying to finish off the Breath of Fire games I never beat to make sure I get all the history right. I beat II (I had a save at the beginning of the final dungeon for quite a long time), and I'm playing through Dragon Quarter, which isn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. There aren't all that many chapters left in the first Act, and I'm trying to decide how I'm going to handle Act 2. I want to write the whole thing, edit it, then post it so that it's the best thing I can give you. I figure I'll post a couple Interludes while you're waiting to fill in the gap between the acts so that you don't have to wait a really really long time. Anyway. Let me know what you think of the story! 


	9. I:9: Through Caves of Wind

**Act 1: Childhood**

**Chapter 9: Through Caves of Wind**

**Party: Ryu, Luna, Bunyan**

Upon waking, the camp was struck fairly quickly by the travelers. Though Bunyan and Ryu talked a little, mostly to do with what needed to be done with the camp, Luna didn't talk at all even once she returned to her human form at sunrise. Bunyan didn't look like he was affected by her silence, but Ryu felt certainly felt effects. She was a friend, really, after going on the journey that they had so far. Perhaps they would continue to be friends through their stay in Wyndia and beyond, but Ryu found that hard to believe with her sulking away from the two others.

Once everything was all in the packs once again, the three cautiously headed into the cave mouth that was adjacent to the campsite. Bunyan held a torch high so that they could see their surroundings. The many passages that greeted them held both good things and bad, monsters and treasure both. The monsters seemed to be even more fierce than the ones that plagued the mountain path up. Though the air remained cold, the main element seemed no longer to be the cold itself, but the air instead.

The monsters even reflected this, being more creatures of air than of ice and cold. This was a shame considering Luna's fire spell (she called it "Flare") was incredibly useful on the ice creatures. Not that the spell was no longer useful, merely that it wasn't _as_ useful. Bunyan's axe skills remained the main threat to enemies of the party, and Ryu's healing magic was never without use. Luna mastered the use of a new spell ("Frost") while exploring the cave's many twists and turns, but it was even less useful than Flare on the local monster population.

After quite a long time of exploring the caves (and coming upon a new short sword for Ryu as well as a new bow for Luna), the party came upon a large passage that had quite the windy disposition. It was very difficult to make headway against the wind, even for Bunyan! Using the large stalagmites and a good sense of timing, the party was able to navigate their way across the large room without too much trouble once Bunyan figured out what they needed to do.

Once out of the large room and having taken a short break in the corridor beyond, there was a maze of corridors that the party had to deal with a lot of monsters jumping out from around corners. Once this had happened twice, Bunyan took point again with Ryu as the rear guard and Luna in the center. Bunyan had the best reflexes and if he got hit, it generally wasn't a bad wound. Ryu only had to fend off a few from the rear, as most of the time the monsters easily heard Bunyan and tried to ambush him, not realizing that he had the support of the girl and boy behind him.

At the end of the corridor maze, there was an opening into a large room. Ryu sighed as he saw it, thinking that there was another wind tunnel in there to work through. He was right, in a way, but not really in the way that he was thinking. When Bunyan had only taken two steps in, he motioned for them to be quiet and hid behind one of the outcroppings just inside the entranceway. Ryu and Luna quickly followed suit, peeking out from other outcroppings on the other side from Bunyan. The room, as they could see it, extended further than their vision on both sides, while the other end of the room from them was not all that far, maybe ten paces. The floor was unmarked beyond the few outcroppings that were around the entranceway that they hid by, and there was no other visible exit from the room.

But there was also no one visible in the room, so once Ryu had taken careful stock of the room, he relaxed and looked at Bunyan as if he were crazy, but the only response he got from the big man was a finger to his lips. He was about to let his breath out loudly in annoyance when suddenly he could hear something. He wasn't sure what it was, and it was just beyond the range of his hearing, so he leaned into the rock and listened harder to try to pick up exactly what was going on. Luna had apparently been listening to the sound that Ryu could just now hear, given her look of concentration, and Bunyan seemed like he already knew what it was.

The sound was definitely getting closer, and soon enough it was beginning to be identifiable. It was the sound of fighting on the run. Heavy and quick footsteps punctuated with impacts that were _something_ on flesh… Ryu wasn't quite sure. It got louder and louder and then Ryu could see something run by. Maybe some things. Whatever it was or were, its speed was to the point that it was in his vision for a fraction of a second, and it was brown… mostly? Ryu blinked.

"Yup," Bunyan said as he came out from behind the cover he had taken. "That's the one we're looking for."

Luna, rather flabbergasted, exclaimed "How could you tell?"

Bunyan chuckled. "He's an Ascent, like you two, though of yet another Clan. He's of the Caballo clan." Seeing the blank looks on the faces of the two children, he amended. "Horse clan, to some. Known for speed; hence his ability to pass through our sight like that."

"What was he doing?" Ryu asked, taking a few steps forward to get a better look at the sides of the room he couldn't see because of the outcroppings near the entrance. The sound was still dimming, so he imagined that it was a lot bigger than he originally thought.

"Fighting a monster, actually. His strategy is a bit unique, I must admit, but I happen to approve of it. Very few monsters function well at such speeds, and so he tends to take them on at full speed when alone." Luna looked a bit confused, and Ryu definitely felt that way. Bunyan then decided to move on. "Let's move on; we'll get to his base and wait there for him to get back."

So the party headed out of the entrance area and turned the way that the speed demon had apparently been coming from and headed that way leisurely. Though there were a few monsters in their path, most of them seemed a little spooked by the extreme speed that had been demonstrated in the immediate area, and therefore were fairly easy to dispatch. It didn't take long for them to find an offshoot of the main cavern, where there was a beat up wooden "door" that had been split in half and thrown aside. This was a little disconcerting. The sounds coming from within the offshoot were a little more disconcerting. And mildly dangerous.

Arming themselves, the party prepared for a battle as they entered the offshoot, which opened up into what could conceivably be called a spacious room. However, that was about it, as the small bit of comforts in the room (a bedroll and some sacks) had been slashed to pieces. And there was a blue winged creature that was wreaking havoc on the room. Bunyan tried to sneak up on it, but when they were only halfway across the room, the beast turned suddenly and bared its teeth at them, threatening them. Bunyan didn't back down at all, though Ryu and Luna did indeed take a step back. When the beast realized that it wouldn't be able to scare off the "intruders", it roared and flapped its wings to generate some wind in the chamber.

It _was_ a cave that was heavily wind-based, so it seemed to make sense that the most fearsome indigenous creature would have the ability to take to the air. It did, bringing its claws around to slash at Bunyan's head, as the two children were too low to scratch and still clear Bunyan's tall frame. Bunyan managed to block one of the claws, though he took a gash too, as his other axe didn't manage to block the other claw. Luckily, that other axe _did_ manage to get a slash into the creature's arm, and it screamed as it took a momentary refuge on the opposite wall. Luna took that opportunity to let an arrow fly, though it bounced off the creature's tough hide. Luna sheathed her bow and instead began preparing spells.

Ryu, however, tried a charge with Bunyan. The creature screamed at them and flapped out of Ryu's reach, and even Bunyan only got a grazing blow. However, this was enough of a distraction that Luna released her Flare spell at the creature and struck a hit. Momentarily blinded by smoke and light, and screaming in pain, the creature fell fast toward the two melee fighters. Ryu and Bunyan fell on the creature with no mercy, Ryu stabbing and slashing at the creature's arm, trying to keep it from attacking, and Bunyan at the main body and being the main attacker and main annoyance to the creature and drawing most of its attention. Luna stalled the preparation of her next Flare spell for a moment when Bunyan and Ryu weren't in the way, and when Ryu succeeded in hacking off the arm, the flailing of the creature finally got it free from its corner and it flew screaming at Luna. Right into a face full of fire and smoke.

Falling to the ground again, it twitched violently, as if seizing. Bunyan came up and beheaded the creature, after which it twitched once more and then lay still. Using some of the torn strips of cloth laying around everywhere in the room, Bunyan cleaned his axes and Ryu his sword. Luna went out to look at the broken door, then came back in. All three of them settled down to wait.

There is a phenomenon that, when waiting for something, it is precisely the moment that you commit to doing something that the thing that you're waiting for happens. So, naturally, it is the instant that Bunyan and Ryu decide to get up and spar that there was a rustling outside and then a curse. "Ugh, and the door too. It's too bad I couldn't get both of them at once…" then a young man… well, boy really, he looked to be in his mid to late teens… was at the door and staring at them all. He had brown hair and the beginnings of a brown beard. His skin was very tan, and he had very stocky legs. After a moment of silence, the newcomer spoke. "Bunyan."

"Jett. I need you to come back to the Castle."

"Why? I'm doing perfectly fine here."

"You'd need to for supplies anyway; we couldn't save most of them." This was true. Nothing in the 'room' was at all salvageable. If this boy was going to be sleeping in there that night it would be on stone, and that thought made Ryu shiver by itself, though it was just cold enough that he blamed the cold for it anyway.

Jett frowned. "Fine, but you seem to be set on taking me there for more than just a supply run, as you came here probably not with the intention of helping me with those wind daemons." So that's what they were called. Ryu made mental note. He didn't like them much.

Bunyan nodded. "There have been some… events in the past month that warrant us collecting everyone back to the Castle. You aren't the only one that we normally just let go that we're reeling in right now."

Jett sighed. "There's no talking you out of it, is there? And we both know you're capable of forcing me to."

Bunyan grinned. "Patience is all it takes, young one. Something you still haven't learned, if I recall correctly."

Jett sighed again, giving in. "When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow at first light. There's no reason to leave the cave today when all we'd be doing is exposing ourselves to the storms earlier than we have to, and I don't think that's a good idea. It's hard to climb these mountains in the best of conditions; I don't want to make it any harder than it has to be."

Jett nodded. "Fair enough. Now, who are these little guys?" He reached down and ruffled Ryu's hair, earning him a glare as Ryu moved it back into what he thought was some semblance of order. He then reached out to do the same to Luna, but the look on her face seemed to make him pause.

"Do it and I'll kill you in your sleep," Luna warned.

Jett straightened. "Nice. You always had a knack for picking up the sweetest of the crop, Bunyan."

Bunyan chuckled. "Jett, this is Luna and Ryu. I'm taking them up to the Castle for the same reasons I'm taking you. So I'm sure you'll all be best friends before we're through."

"I don't like him," Luna piped up.

Jett gave an unconvincing smile and Ryu sighed. This was going to be a long night.


	10. I:10: Reach for the Sky

**Act 1: Childhood**

**Chapter 10: Reach for the Sky**

**Party: Ryu, Bunyan, Luna, Jett**

The party settled down for sleep. Jett helped Ryu and Bunyan unpack as Luna seemed to get quite sick suddenly. Bunyan didn't question her unmoving silence in the corner of the room. Ryu glared at her a bit, angry that she had gotten out of chores somehow for the evening. As there was nothing he could do about it without being a whiny little brat, he let it go. Even having to do part of Luna's work seemed okay this night because Jett was also doing work. Plus, it gave him a chance to examine the newcomer.

He had a very practiced way of moving; such that it was obvious that he had set up camp with Bunyan's supplies quite a few times. There was something else about the way he moved himself that Ryu couldn't put his finger on. It was both similar to the way that Bunyan moved and yet it was something else altogether. Because he didn't have enough information to identify the feeling he was getting from the older boy, Ryu didn't let his thoughts linger long on it.

Bunyan, Jett and Ryu finished setting up quite a bit faster than they had the night before when it was just Bunyan and Ryu with a little help from Wolf-Luna. This time however, Luna wasn't a wolf. She was still sitting in the corner refusing to do anything, including make a sound. Once the camp had been set up completely, Bunyan and Jett set up their bedrolls by the door of the chamber, while Ryu tossed Luna's by her stubborn form and set up his own nearby. He crawled onto his roll and faced the door as he settled down to sleep.

"I wasn't kidding." The soft voice was clipped and nearly impossible to hear, but it was easy to tell whose it was. "I don't like him at all."

Ryu rolled himself over, pretending as best he could that he was simply trying to get comfortable, though really he was turning so that Bunyan and Jett wouldn't be able to hear what he was saying. "Just from one conversation?" he asked, as low as he possibly could. He opened his eyes just enough to see her in the darkness. She was now sitting on her bedroll, though she had not changed her body position or language.

"Of course not." Now her voice was a harsh whisper. "I've met him before." This gave Ryu some pause and made him want to turn back over to take another look at Jett. Since he didn't have that option in order to still be pretending to sleep (and he'd have to roll right back over in order to continue this fascinating conversation that he was having), he simply frowned.

"When? How?"

There was silence from the other figure for so long that Ryu thought that she had managed to go to sleep in the seated position that she seemed to be loathe to leave. Finally: "It's not important." Then a little bit of rustling, and she was laying down, still facing away from Ryu and the others.

Ryu sighed. That certainly ended the conversation. He decided that it was a good time to go to sleep, as there was little else he could do that night, and he had plenty of things to think about.

* * *

"Morning" was signified by Bunyan's rough hand shaking Ryu's shoulder. Ryu sat up immediately, and Bunyan moved on to do the same to Luna. Ryu didn't wait for Bunyan to finish waking Luna up and got up and began to pack everything up, as per usual. He didn't, however, realize that Jett and Bunyan had apparently already taken care of most of what needed to be done. Ryu merely had to roll up his bedroll and put on what had been divvied out as his pack. He wondered idly about why he hadn't had to help break camp, but he wasn't about to complain.

Because the two younger children were awoken after most of the work had been done, it was only another five or so minutes before everyone, including the two still bleary-eyed children, were ready to continue climbing the mountain. "There're two entrances to the cave, Bunyan, though I imagine you knew that," Jett was saying as the four left the chamber in which they had slept. "One on the side of the mountain that has an easy pass down to the Wyndian Hills, and the other near the peak of a mountain just one set of peaks shy of Wyndia."

Bunyan made a sound of assent. "Yes, though I haven't taken the pathway through the mountains at all; you're going to have to lead us to the closer entrance to Wyndia, if you want to go the quick way."

Jett apparently nodded (Ryu wasn't looking at him at the time, so he didn't really know), and the four set off. Though they still met some monsters as they went through the rest of the cave, it was quite a bit easier to dispatch any monsters that got in their way due to having four members rather than three of their party. Jett's skills also came in handy, as he had quite a few nice abilities.

He had the ability to use magic, which was nice, as his lightening and earth spells tended to do pretty well against those monsters who were somehow affiliated with wind. He also had the ability to ascend at will, which was something that he tried to keep from the two children, but during a particularly testy battle against a monster that nearly gutted Luna. His ascended form, which he called Caballo, was basically just a fairly buff human-shaped body with a horse head. The Caballo had charged Luna and the enemy taking the enemy away from her and giving Ryu the space to heal.

After changing back to his original form, Jett found that Luna not only still hated him, but seemed to somehow treat him worse than she had when he had originally been found by Bunyan and his two younger charges. As an insult to add to this injury, Ryu was then not speaking to him. A quiet, though easily overheard conversation between Bunyan and Jett revealed to the young Caballo Clanner that his ability to transform at _will_ had earned the ire of the younger set of his companions. After that Jett's bouncy attitude seemed to falter a bit, and he tried to step a little more softly around the younger ones.

Not that it did him any good.

Once out of the cave, the four companions, though two of them certainly weren't acting very companionably, found themselves within sight of the walls of Wyndia. The floating city was partially blocked from their view by the single mountain peak that remained in their way. From the other side of that peak they could reach the Wyndian City Access, and it wasn't all that far on the mountain trail before they would get there. Bunyan then took the lead of the party and led them down the path that led spiraling down the mountain that they were now at the peak of, and then across a fairly rickety rope bridge to the other mountain.

Once on that mountain, it was another simple climb until they were at the Wyndian City Access. The monsters on this side of the mountain passes were a lot tougher than the ones during the first climb, but with the addition of another fighter, the fights that the party faced weren't too hard for the party to handle. It was about noontime when they reached the station that would let them ascend into the floating city that was now somewhat above them.

"Now, it's too bad that we don't actually have a Wyndian Clanner with us," Bunyan said, punctuating his sentence with a grunt. The climb hadn't been all that hard on him, but the last bit of climbing was particularly steep. "They could fly up to the Access and bring it down to the ledge at the bottom of this ascent."

Ryu looked down. Not being able to see where he would land if he fell bothered him enough that he didn't even try looking for the ledge where they had begun this final climb, so he returned his eyes to the Access and swallowed heavily. Luna seemed to have a similar reaction, as Ryu could hear her swallow beside him. Jett, who was in front of Luna and Ryu, was still looking back at the ledge. "I hate this climb. It's so much easier with the…"

Bunyan cut him of with a gesture. "We're almost there, stop complaining."

At last, the four had reached the ledge where the Access was located. It wasn't all that much, just a metal outline of a box that happened to have a floor hanging from seemingly nothing other than an attachment to the rock of the peak that they were on. The peak itself was a smaller one in that section of the mountains, leaving the party very exposed and visible to everything within the cone of the highest mountains in the range that surrounded the floating city, which was visible above as an island in the sky.

Ryu was watching the island while Luna watched Jett and Bunyan set up the Access. Jett detached the gate from the box and opened it up while Bunyan was fiddling with the connection to the somehow bare of snow rock, apparently trying to disconnect the box from the mountain. Neither of the younger set in the party could really figure out how the box was going to manage when it wasn't actually attached to anything, but Bunyan seemed rather confident with it, so they figured it was alright. Not that it made them any less afraid when Jett motioned for them to get _in_ the box.

Luna instantly took a step backward and shook her head violently. Ryu caught her wrist so that she wouldn't take any more steps backward as she had the chance to tumble if she went too far. He let go the instant he was sure she was steady, but she was apparently ignoring him. Jett beckoned again and Ryu gathered his courage and started walking toward the box. Luna then swallowed behind him and ventured in a much higher than normal voice, "what's going to keep it up when it isn't attached to the mountain anymore?"

"Magic," Bunyan said as he apparently succeeded with the mechanism, and suddenly the box was floating an inch or two away from the rock of the peak. "How else would an island float in the sky? Come on, get in." Luna shook her head again, though thankfully she didn't take anymore steps backward, as Ryu was now much closer to Jett and almost inside the box. Ryu turned back and looked at her with a face of concern, though all she did was shake her head again. "Right," Bunyan said, and walked over to Luna. She blinked, but did not move as he bent down to look her straight in the eye. There was a moment's pause before Jett pushed Ryu into the box and got in himself.

When Ryu turned around, Luna started screaming and flailing as Bunyan carried her fireman style over to the box. "No! Don't you dare! I don't want to! PUT ME DOWN!" Ryu couldn't help but smile as Bunyan got in the box and closed the gate with the hand that wasn't keeping Luna securely fastened to his shoulder. Then he brushed his hand on the little metal box that was in one corner of the box and suddenly the box was moving upward and away from the peak. Luna immediately stopped struggling. Bunyan then made to put her down, but she was holding onto him for dear life now.

"I thought you wanted to get down?" Bunyan remarked to her with a twinkle in his eyes.

"I'm good," was her response. Bunyan chuckled, but did not respond or continue to try to put her down.

Jett was leaning over the side of one of the railings, looking down into the abyss below. "Has anyone ever been down there, Bunyan?"

Bunyan took a moment to respond, though Ryu wasn't looking at him to tell what his facial expression was because he was leaning over with Jett now. "Not that I know of," Bunyan responded slowly, "though I imagine a Wyndian Clanner could pull it off, so they could have been down there at some point." Jett nodded slowly, while Ryu simply gawked and the sheer amount of space there was in this area between the mountains. _I wonder what's down there,_ he thought, _but I'm not sure I'd be willing to brave whatever I'd need to do to get there._

The box continued to travel for several minutes. The island in the sky grew larger and larger as the trip went by, and Ryu soon gave up looking at all the space and began watching the island as they approached. It formed an upside-down mountain, with a peak roughly in the center of the mass of land. The mountain was craggy and probably would be hard to climb were it right-side-up. Ryu was picking out the interesting details of contours and dips when suddenly they were level with the peak and Ryu realized that they were rising at a very fast pace.

It was only a few more seconds before Ryu felt himself slowing down gradually. By the time the box reached the crest, they were slow enough that the deceleration didn't change as they came to a stop. Once stopped, Bunyan opened the gate and placed Luna down on the ground of the island. Jett and Ryu followed him off.

"Welcome," Bunyan said, straightening, "to the city of Wyndia."


	11. I:11: City Among the Clouds

**Act 1: Childhood**

**Chapter 11: City Among the Clouds**

**Party: Ryu, Bunyan, Luna, Jett**

Ryu knew he was gawking at everything, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Above him on all sides were buildings. Some nearly fifteen stories high, as far as he could tell. Down the center of the thoroughfare that they entered the island on, a very large building could be seen on the far opposite end. There were people on the streets with little rickety tables selling trinkets, as well as well-dressed men standing outside very clean establishments probably also selling things. There was so much to look at that Ryu couldn't decide which deserved his attention for any given moment.

Luna's reaction to the city was similar, if slightly delayed because of the getting off of Bunyan's back part. Jett and Bunyan, who had both been to the City before, walked slowly so that they wouldn't lose the younger members of their party. Several hawkers along the side of the street came up close to try to make a sale, but once they realized who it was, they backed up out of their way extremely quickly. Ryu didn't even notice, being too engrossed in all the sights, sounds and even the smells from the restaurant district that was tantalizingly out of sight.

It was much like this until they came out into the central square of the City, with the main thoroughfare crossed by another very busy street. Though it was called a square (so the banners above it proclaimed, anyway), the corners were cut out so that the shape of the space was more like a circle. In the center was a set of statues, and it was this that grabbed Ryu and Luna's attention immediately, like nothing else so far had. Jett walked over with them, nearly as transfixed. Bunyan, who seemed to have been expecting this, simply walked along forward.

Front and center was a figure with wings, poised as if preparing to lift off into the sky. It was at the base of this statue that the three Ascents stopped, while Bunyan stopped a short distance behind them. Just to the left of this figure was another figure, this one very reminiscent of Jett. He had the same long face and the same tall stature. Jett seemed like he was admiring this statue, though Luna and Ryu seemed like they liked both of those statues equally, and their eyes moved across to the other statue next to the winged figure in the front.

This one was actually taller than all of the others, and looked nearly like a tree. He had one gnarled hand lifted as if in defiance. In fact, all of the figures that they could see from that side were in a very strong pose. The next one further to the right caught Luna's eye and she immediately left the tree one for that. Ryu spent a moment more looking at the tree-man, admiring the bark-like skin, before turning to see the statue that had caught Luna's eye.

Even at first glance it was fairly obvious why this statue had so easily torn Luna away from the interesting tree man. It had Luna's pronounced mouth and slightly longer teeth. But the most obvious feature was that it was howling to the sky, with both arms out to display the chest. Both the arms and the chest were breaking out of the "clothing" that the man was wearing, and it was obvious the arms were hairy. Ryu let out his breath in wonder. These statues had representations of both his companions; would it have a representation of him?

The next statue down the line that Luna and Ryu had gravitated down was the last in the line, as most of the statues were in an arrowhead formation facing the way from which the party had come. This was a man that was apparently on fire. Ryu stood blinking at this one for a little before continuing around to the back.

While most of the statues (seven of the nine total) were facing away from Ryu now that he was nearly on the other side, there were still two that were facing the Castle instead. Once Ryu got a good look, he found that he couldn't look away from the two of them. The one now on his right was made of a darker stone than the other statues, while the one on his left was made of a lighter stone than the other statues. Both were in a position of supplication and prayer instead of pure defiance.

The light one had his head down and seemed almost at peace, though it was apparent that the man cared greatly about what he was praying. The dark one, however, had his head up and was glaring ahead with a similar kind of defiance as the other statues. However, it seemed to have much more threat associated with that defiance than the other statues conveyed. The menace seemed to be coming out of the eyes of the statue alone. In a similar way, the light statue, without having the man looking up, still was able to convey that it's not a good idea to cross him either.

Ryu didn't know how long he was standing there before he felt a hand on his shoulder. He jumped and turned around to find Bunyan along with the other two, who were still looking somewhat wistfully at the statues now behind Ryu. Bunyan had a kind look in his bearded face. "Find the statues interesting, young one?" Ryu could only nod. "I'm sure you will have many other opportunities to look at the Ascent Statues, but right now we should head into the Castle, get everyone settled. This may be your new home for a while, after all."

Bunyan had to basically steer the rest of them forward toward the Castle that, once Bunyan had them all facing in the right direction, they were now all looking at. It was shining white, with towers and parapets and anything else you could think of that all spoke of heights. Luna took a swallow just looking at one of the towers in particular. The buildings around them were also starting to change, as they were moving further and further into the richer side of town. Their designs began to emulate, in small ways, that of the Castle itself.

It didn't take all that long to reach the gates of the Castle, where two guards stood. Both wore blue and gold uniforms with white wings that were painted on the sides of their helmets as well as their chests. Their pikes were straight in the air, and neither paid any attention to the approaching party. However, a guard with a pair of gold wings pinned on his chest approached from the other side of the gate. "Name and business?" he asked brusquely.

"Agent Bunyan, escorting VIPs," Bunyan replied in his don't-give-me-crap voice.

The guard on the opposite side of the gates jumped sharply. "Very well, you may enter," he said, after a pause, and with much more respect. He motioned with his arm, and the gates opened slowly, creaking and groaning as all gates that size should, or at least so Ryu thought. The four of them entered and walked forward along the path through the garden that separated the gate from the Castle itself, which was looming even more impressively before them the closer they got to it.

Finally, they alighted on the stairs in front of the great door. Luna and Ryu ran up at a quick pace, while the other two climbed the stairs at a walk. Luna beat Ryu up the stairs by a step and a half and therefore was the first to crane her neck to see the great door in all of its splendor. They were still staring when the other two arrived at the door. Jett sighed at the sight of the two of them and muttered "kids!" Bunyan walked up to the door, ignoring the two gawkers, and rapped three times on it. It opened inward to admit them and they all found themselves being ushered inside to the waiting chamber.

More guards were stationed inside the chamber, a pair for each doorway that lead out of the room. In front of the doorway directly in front of them was another one of the guards that had the wings pinned to his chest. This one, however, seemed to recognize Bunyan on sight. "Well! The big man returns!" he said, his round face extending in a smile. "How is everything down below these days?"

With Bunyan's beard, it was difficult to tell exactly what his mouth was doing in response. "As well as it always is, Captain," he said as the four approached the door directly ahead of the entrance. "Is he expecting us, or did we manage to surprise him this time?"

The Captain chuckled. "It's notoriously difficult to pull the wool over the man's eyes, yes, but he's busy with another audience at the moment. You'll have to wait until he's done with them."

Bunyan nodded and ushered the three others to one side of the entrance hall, so that they would not be in the way of those that were coming and going through the side and front doors of the Castle. Ryu found a bench against the wall to sit down on and Luna followed suit. Jett seemed to prefer remaining standing, while Bunyan seemed to be watching everyone and everything, so didn't really join the three others.

Ryu's attention, however, wasn't at all on his companions, though somewhere in the back of his mind he knew where they were. Really, he was looking down at his lap and wondering what the King was going to do, now that he had finally reached the Castle. I mean, it wasn't like life was just going to go back to _normal_, or that he would be able to simply go back to Ness and even live there anymore. And given that there wasn't a temple in the city, he didn't think that he'd find his father in Wyndia either.

But what was supposed to happen next? Bunyan had told him that there was a place for him here, but he didn't think he would end up staying once he was allowed to leave. Besides, there was the pilgrimage to consider. There were a lot of things to consider. And he needed to find his father. If he had his way, he'd find him sooner rather than later. But where would he need to look? Would it be in a temple that he wouldn't see until his last pilgrimage and he was an adult?

Maybe. But that was the question for another time.

"Nervous?" Luna's voice asked him. He could tell that she wasn't looking at him, and she said it softly enough that even Jett didn't notice.

Ryu matched his voice to hers. "Yes."

"So am I," Luna said, her voice still so soft that Ryu almost had to strain to hear her without looking at her directly. "I mean, I-… ugh. This isn't really something I'm doing by choice, you know?" Ryu nodded, knowing what she was talking about, remembering it from the conversation she had with Bunyan when they had met. It had only been something shy of a week since they had met; it felt like much longer than that. It felt like it had been months since he had last seen his sister. "Now I'll get to see whether Bunyan was right about this place."

"I hope he is," Ryu said, " 'cause I don't know where else I can be until my powers mature. Do you think it will be worth it if you can find out things about your Clan here?"

Luna took a while to respond. "I don't know. Maybe. I don't know what to expect from this."

"Ever since I left my town," Ryu said, "I've known only that I needed to get word to the King that something had happened. But I never really thought beyond it all that far, particularly when I was making the journey alone."

"I guess we'll see soon enough," Luna said. Jett seemed to finally notice the conversation and stepped closer as if to join, but neither of the others spoke. Jett sighed, then stepped away again, intending to talk to Bunyan. The two of them sat in silence for a while, both lost in thought.

After a particularly pompous but seemingly angry man in very outlandish clothing (Jett remarked on how he looked like a clown exploded, which earned him a dirty look) exited the Hall that Bunyan had tried to lead them into, the guard came over to Bunyan and told him, "He's ready for you now."

The two youngest stood and fell into step behind Bunyan and Jett, their arguments and problems with each temporarily forgotten as they thought more on the future than their present. As they all stepped through the doorway into the large ornate room, one of the guards who was on this side of the door and armed with a giant scepter banged it on the ground three times and announced, "Agent Bunyan, with charges." And then the other guard on this side of the doorway shut the door behind them.


	12. I:12: The Royal Family of Wyndia

**Act 1: Childhood**

**Chapter 12: The Royal Family of Wyndia**

**Party: Ryu, Bunyan, Luna, Jett**

The King was seated on a throne of blue, and was also clothed in blue with white fluffy trim. The crown atop his head was gold, which was mildly tough to see through his very fair hair. His sharp chin was resting on his hand, but his mouth was curved up in a smile and he seemed genuinely happy to see the party. This, more than anything else that happened later, was what helped Ryu feel at ease with the rather imposing man.

Bunyan stepped forward to where the first step up to the dais on which the King was seated and knelt there on one knee. Jett followed suit slightly behind him, while Luna looked around at the whole room, taking it all in. Ryu decided it would be a better idea to emulate Bunyan than anyone else, and knelt behind the two already doing so. Luna seemed to suddenly notice that the others were kneeling, then there was a moment in which she was obviously making some sort of momentous decision in her head, and then she knelt with the rest of them. Ryu managed not to chuckle.

The King did chuckle, then said "Rise, guests." His voice was deep and powerful, the exact voice that Ryu had been thinking of when it came to a King's voice. The four stood up, and Luna returned to her study of the room. Ryu's eyes were locked on the King. "I see you return with many more charges than you expected, Agent Bunyan."

"I do, your Highness, mostly due to this one," Bunyan said, and though Ryu had not really noticed him stepping back, he found that Bunyan was now behind him with his hand upon his shoulder. A quick glance revealed that Jett had also taken a few steps back, and Ryu now had nobody between him and this powerful man. "He tells a story of a hidden village that was attacked shortly before I met him. He asked to be taken to you."

The King nodded gravely. "And though at some point I would like to learn how you got young Jett to agree to come back to us once again, I would like to know more about this young lady," he said, indicating Luna with a sweep of his arm out of his enormous cloak.

"She's of the Lycanthrope Clan, my liege. I decided to actively look for any other Ascents after hearing the boy's story, and my search yielded her," Bunyan replied. Ryu was just close enough to Luna to hear "_you_ hardly found _me_," from under her breath. "I offered her sanctuary, as we do to any Ascent child who wanders these lands," Bunyan continued, either as if he hadn't heard her or because he hadn't, "but it's young Ryu here that has the story that you must hear."

"Alright, then, little Ryu," the King said, sweeping his gaze upon the young Dragon Clanner, "what is your story?"

And, once Ryu had swallowed, he began to recount all he could about the last day that he had seen his sister, and his trip until he had met Bunyan. He included most of the trip up to the cliffs, but not what his sister had done there in order to force his first dragon-turn, and then told everything he could about the mysterious man who had met them on the way back from the cliffs. He recalled the way he had been defeated, then his awakening and the discovery that Ness was merely a ruin, and then his trip to Chaive. He didn't include anything about how he had met Bunyan, as it wasn't really important to telling the King about Ness.

After Ryu had finished his story, the King's smile had faded into a look of intense thought. After a few beats of silence, he let out a sigh. "This hardly bodes well for the future. Harold." Bunyan snapped a salute. "Spread the word to the field agents that all Ascents are to be offered sanctuary as soon as possible. By all I even mean the adults." Bunyan nodded and exited the room, displaying once again a quickness that defied his size. "Jett." Jett looked up and straightened, though he did not do the salute that Bunyan had. "Take these two to the Ascent quarters. You can have the room you've always had, and they can have their choice of the empty rooms. Get them settled." Jett nodded.

The King rose and swept his gaze over both Ryu and Luna. "I imagine you have many questions. I will find the time to answer them for you, when I can. Until then, keep out of trouble and listen to Jett; he knows the routine here." And with that, the king swept out of the room with most of the guards in the room following him. There was a beat of silence before Jett moved, and Ryu thought he couldn't move until Jett did, that something had held him to the floor.

"Alright, follow me, small fry," Jett called over his shoulder as he led them out a back door on the opposite side of where the King had exited. As he left the room, obviously trying to imitate the regal sweeping of the King, Luna fumed aside to Ryu.

"We have to follow_ his_ instructions?!" Luna said, barely controlling the volume of her voice enough that Jett couldn't hear her from his position well in front of the two younger Ascents. "I'd rather follow the instructions of a _bunny rabbit_. There had better be other people we can get to show us the way around here!"

Ryu agreed with her, but didn't think that they would be lucky enough to lose Jett very soon. They were at least stuck with him until they learned the 'routine' that the King had mentioned. Though it certainly would be nice to have a room of his own again. He found that the concept of not having to sleep on a bedroll but a nice, significantly padded bed, he wasn't spending nearly as much energy being frustrated at the choice of chaperones. Luna, however, continued the muttering under her breath for the whole walk through the castle.

It was a significant walk. After leaving the throne room, the group went through a couple hallways and then to a stairway which seemed to just keep going, and then _finally_ Jett led them out into yet another hallway, where there were many doors lined up in a row, with placards next to each one. Jett led the way through this hallway backwards. "These," he said, with the air of someone who knows more than the others around him and knows it, "are the rooms where Ascents can sleep. I have one that's reserved for me, and today the two of you can pick ones that will be reserved for you."

"Where's yours?" Luna asked, deceptively sweetly. Ryu was surprised she had it in her.

"Mine, is number sixteen, all the way down this hall and on the left," Jett replied. As one, the other two stopped and turned around and raced back to the rooms that were the closest to the stairway. Jett continued walking back for a second before he realized that his charges were moving quickly away from him. "Hey!" He rushed after them. The three of them reached the end of the hallway at roughly the same time and Ryu and Luna looked at the two rooms closest to the stairway and simultaneously decided that those rooms would be theirs. Jett hemmed and hawed, but finally had to admit that the two rooms were in fact unclaimed, and the two entered their respective rooms for the first time.

Luna's room was the one that was on the inner side of the castle; there was no window in her room. Though it was initially rather bare, it wasn't long after Luna had started to get comfortable that a servant in the blue livery that everyone seemed to be wearing in the castle arrived with an alternate bed in addition to the one that was already in the room, this one obviously tailored to a wolf form. Ryu spotted the look on Luna's face when she realized what it was, and knew that Luna would have a much better time at Castle Wyndia than she would ever admit.

Ryu's own room was identical, other than the presence of the window, which he thought cheered the room quite a bit. The window looked down over the front of the Castle, and down over the street which he could see people in if he squinted hard enough. The bed was sparse, but comfortable and very soft after being in a bedroll for so long. When a servant came up to augment his room, they brought a 'scratching post', though he wasn't entirely sure what that was for, as well as a desk and chair, which the other servant had also brought to Luna's room.

The two children were told that they would be expected to attend their lessons regularly and learn about Wyndia as well as Ascents and their own clan. To Ryu, this was somewhat welcome, as he would have started similar lessons, as well as continuing his training regimen, after returning from his dragon-learning. Though Luna wasn't very fond of the idea of lessons, the fact that there was physical training involved interested her more. She was still grilling the servant, who at this point looked rather put-upon, when a girl about their age appeared in the doorway that led to the stairs back down to the rest of the Castle.

She was dressed in the same shade of blue that everything else in the Castle seemed to be based on, but instead of livery, she was wearing a dress that was very frilly and seemed to speak of nobility. Her face wasn't anything Ryu recognized until he noticed the coronet that was almost hidden within her golden blonde hair. Then with a glance back at her face he noticed her similarity to the King. _His daughter?_

"So you two are the new Ascents we have in the Castle," the young royal remarked. She stepped into the hallway fully and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

Ryu and Luna looked at each other, and then back at the girl. Using the moment when Luna was not paying attention to her, the servant that Luna had been grilling made a hasty exit in the other direction. None of the three children noticed. There was a beat of silence before Luna folded her arms over her chest and stared down the other girl. "What of it?" she challenged.

The girl seemed slightly confused at Luna's reaction, but recovered quickly enough. "Father told me that two Ascents my age had arrived today; I wanted to see the two of you for myself." She looked down her nose at each of them in turn, obviously inspecting them for something.

Luna seemed to take exception to being scrutinized in such a way. "And what are you looking at?!" she demanded, taking a few steps forward to lean into the other girl's face. "Do you think we're just here for your own games? Think again." And with that, Luna spun on her heel, walked into her new room and slammed the door.

The corridor was once again silent as the two people who remained there stared at the door as it shook with the force of the blow it had just taken. As if on some silent signal, the two of them then looked at each other. The girl huffed. "Well, that was uncalled for! I was merely practicing the ability to determine what Clan she is by looking at her!" She then returned to staring at Ryu in the uncomfortable way that she had been staring at Luna with.

Ryu folded his own arms. "It's not very nice to be looking at anyone like that. 'Specially people you don't know." The girl looked rather surprised at this, which caused her look to become much more comfortable to bear.

"But I've got to practice sometime!"

Ryu rolled his eyes. "Maybe later then." He walked to his own door and pulled it open.

He heard a huff from behind him. "At least tell me who you are, then, sir?" At the measure of respect, Ryu stopped and turned around, a little more curious about this girl that had so rudely imposed herself into his settling into the Castle.

"I'm Ryu Gensu. And you are?"

The girl drew herself up and took on as much royal bearing as she could muster. "I am the Princess Nina White of Wyndia."

Ryu bowed his head slightly. "Well met, Princess. I hope the next time we meet you'll be a little nicer," he said, and then without further ado stepped fully into his room and shut the door. From outside he heard Nina huff once again and then her steps out into the stairway and their echoes as she returned to the main area of the Castle.

Ryu went and sat on his bed. He was in Wyndia, he had told the King what he needed to tell him, and he found that he had a place to be for now. There were still questions to be answered about the terms of his stay, and when he would be able to go find his father. He had to tell him everything… if anyone could fix everything, find out what had happened to everyone and make sure it couldn't happen again, it would be his father. He just wished that he knew where he was, and how he could get to him.

Ryu's thoughts were interrupted by the door opening and Luna stepping inside the room. She then closed the door behind her. "What a -" the word that Luna used was very unflattering and to the point "that girl was." Luna moved to the chair that was in front of the desk that was in Ryu's room and sat on it. "I mean, who does she think she is?"

"The Princess, I imagine."

Luna leveled him with a searing look. "I _was_ listening from behind the door, you know. You were much nicer to her than she deserved." She then looked up at the ceiling. "So what happens now?"

"I have no idea."

"Do you think Jett will be the one to come get us for supper?"

"Better him than_ her_." There was no question as to who Ryu was referring to.

"I dunno, I'd be happiest if I never saw either of them again," Luna replied airily.

"You'd be happiest if we didn't have any minders at all," Ryu joked.

Luna grinned. "It's true."


	13. Act I Finale: Rescue Mission

**Act I: Childhood**

**Finale: Rescue Mission**

**Party: Ryu, Luna, Jett**

It wasn't long at all before Ryu got used to the routine of living in Castle Wyndia. Whenever he could, he dodged both Jett and Nina to the best of his ability, but there were times in which he couldn't get rid of them. The worst of these times was always at meals, where he was either with one or the other. Luna seemed to be in a permanent state of glowering when she was subjected to either of their presences, or even her lessons, though she seemed her normal frisky self when it came to their training.

Ryu began his day with a set of training in the central courtyard of the Castle, then off to breakfast in the main dining area with a very drowsy Nina and a very rowdy Luna. After Ryu and Luna wolfed down what they could, they headed to lessons upstairs in a small room with Nina and a couple other kids their age who tried to stay as far away from the Ascents as possible and as close to Nina as possible. Ryu couldn't understand this behavior for the life of him, but Luna seemed rather satisfied with their apparent fear of them.

After a lunch with Jett and Nina, they headed out to the courtyard once again for calisthenics, which Jett led them in and was the only physical activity they did all day that Luna disliked. After that they had a little free time to play in the Castle before another set of lessons in the late afternoon in the same room with the same people. Then there was dinner in the main dining area, this time with just Jett, as Nina spent the evening meal at the High Table with the King, Queen and Prince. After dinner, their time was their own, though at sundown Luna was required in the Training Yard to train as a wolf, but she only had to do this every other evening.

Ryu, Luna and Jett had only been in the Castle for about a week when Nina did not appear for lunch, and then was not at the High Table for dinner either. Though to Luna this was a cause for celebration, because if it continued, they wouldn't have any minder for breakfast the next morning. Ryu, however, was a little worried. As was Jett, who mentioned so at dinner. "I don't like how the Princess hasn't been in meals for most of the day." Ryu nodded, while Luna scowled and complained about her celebration being cut short.

Ryu and Luna's schedule continued as normal, though that day was not going to be one of the days that Luna was required to do transformed work. That evening, Ryu and Luna found themselves in Luna's room (so as to not aggravate her body by making it transform when it did not have to) when Jett burst into the room.

"Princess Nina's been kidnapped, and I think the three of us can spring her."

Ryu and Luna, after getting over their initial shock at the fact that someone they knew had been kidnapped, scoffed at Jett's proposal. "Why would we do it?" Ryu asked reasonably, "I mean, there are lots of soldiers that exist for exactly this kind of thing, right?"

Jett nodded. "Of course there are. But I've noticed that the two of you have some sort of disagreement with the Princess; how would you like it if she owed you?" This apparently had the reaction that he was going for, as Luna lit up like a star, and bounded off of her bed excited. Ryu was less enthused about the idea, but with Luna as excited about this idea as she was, he didn't think that he would be able to get out of it very easily.

Jett managed to get Luna calm enough to sit relatively still in a few minutes, and once he had, he laid out the situation to them. "There's an anti-monarchy group that appears now and again to try to do something to the royal family called the 'Freedom Corps'. They operate out of a small building in the southwest corner of the city, though the Wyndian Knights _and_ the Royal Guard don't know that. I figured it out a year ago and shortly afterward ran away again." He gave them a winning smile. "I'm quite good at that, you know."

He seemed to notice that he was losing his audience as he then returned to the pertinent information. "So what I propose is that the three of us sneak out tonight, I'll show you how and then you can sneak out anytime you want, and we head over to their hideout and lift the Princess when they're not expecting it. What do you say?"

Ryu had to admit that it was a rather tempting offer, especially with the necessary knowledge to be able to sneak out of the Castle anytime they wanted to do something in town. Ryu and Luna had been pulled aside by one of their training instructors on their second day there and told in no uncertain terms that they were not allowed in town at all. This was apparently for their own safety, as the Training Master had not cleared them able to defend themselves. Luna and Ryu both thought this silly, as they had clearly defended themselves quite well before getting to Castle Wyndia, and thought they could easily handle whatever the city would be able to throw at them.

Luna was all for this idea. "Yes! Show us how to get out of here!" she was looking at Jett in a completely different way now: very positively. Ryu wasn't sure Jett knew exactly how to handle Luna in an excited mood.

"Lead the way, Jett," Ryu said, sealing the deal.

Jett grinned. "Alright!" He dashed out the door and the other two followed him. He went to the opposite stairway than the one that they were used to using and began to shuffle down the stairs very quickly. The two younger Ascents followed at their best pace, though even as Jett rushed headlong past the main floor. As the three descended into the basement levels of the Castle, the stone became less and less the pure white that the upper floors favored and become uniformly grey.

After running down more stairs than Ryu would ever care to count, they came to an opening in the wall that didn't seem like it was supposed to be there. Jett dashed inside and kept on running, so Luna and Ryu's only real choice was to duck inside themselves. Jett called out from in front of them, keeping a running commentary of what they were doing and where they were going. "So all you have to do is go all the way down to the seventh basement floor, and you'll see that opening in the wall that somehow still hasn't been discovered by any of the staff or guards. Then you go through this passage to leave the Castle and come up on the other side of the Castle gate!"

"Is there," Ryu got out before he gasped for another breath. He was finding it very difficult to breathe properly after running full out for so long. "Any reason… that we… have to… run… the whole…time?" Ryu's face was very red once he had finished this.

Jett suddenly put on the brakes and turned around to face the other two. Ryu and Luna stopped as well, Ryu bending over with his hands on his knees and gasping in air as he could, while Luna simply seemed slightly over exerted. Jett turned to Luna. "I guess the Dragon Clan isn't as tuned to speed as we are, hmm?" Luna didn't respond other than to continue staring at him, making him more and more uncomfortable. After a minute or so, Ryu stood up once again and Jett jumped at the chance to turn around and continue on their way, though this time at a much more reasonable pace.

After they had gone a little further, Jett raised his hand in an unmistakable stop gesture. The other two came to a halt behind him. Jett turned his head slightly so that the others could hear, but he also had an eye on the passages ahead of them. "Starting here, we may run into a few thieves, beggars, and even the occasional monster. Be on your guard, and remember that we have to fight our way back through here once we've got Nina.

The first resistance the party met was a pair of thieves who apparently thought that a trio of kids walking through their haunts would be easy pickings; they were sadly mistaken. So much so that even by the time one was dead and the other wanted to flee, Luna had an arrow ready to fly and loosed it into the remaining thief's throat. A pair of brown slimes met them around a corner at one point, and they gave the party a bit of trouble until they realized that they were extremely weak to a simple Frost. The only other kind of encounter they met was a mole, but the mole escaped, being smarter than any of the others that the trio had found down there.

After quite a bit of walking, Jett stopped and listened at a corner. Ryu craned his neck and found that he could just catch voices. Jett bent down and spoke in a low voice very close to Luna and Ryu. "It seems that they have an entrance to these caves too. They're talking about Nina."

Luna nodded and replied in the same voice. "It seems that they know they're under attack though; they keep debating on where to move the Princess."

Jett looked at her oddly for a moment, then seemed to realize something and nodded. "I say we take them now, while they have this distraction taking some of their number, grab the Princess, and go." Receiving nods from both of his comrades, he turned and launched himself around the corner to slam into a man that was standing in a hallway discussing something with another man. The man who had not been hit drew a dagger and flung it at Jett, who barely dodged the blow. Using this as a distraction, the fallen man regained his feet and now was armed with a dagger as well. The man who had thrown a dagger pulled another one and tried to circle Jett, only to find the tip of a short sword through his chest.

The remaining man tried a throw of his dagger, but on the backswing released the dagger and let it drop to the ground because he had an arrow in his chest. He fell sputtering to the floor and lay still. The trio had no rest though, because at that moment other men and a couple women exited the room from which they could hear the muffled screams of a young girl. The way the hallway was situated, the trio could only face two or three of the adversaries at a time. However, the others within easy reach of the doorway prevented the party from having any time between the battles. Finally, after killing many thieves, the trio burst into the room that the thieves had been guarding from them.

The room was lit just as dimly as the rest of the caverns were, though there was a doorway on the opposite wall through which there was moonlight streaming in. Luna seemed to stiffen at the sight of the moonlight, but not being directly touched by it, did not transform. Because of the moonlight, though, it was easy to see the other two figures in the room for what they were. In the one chair in the room, bound and gagged, was Princess Nina, whose wide eyes were staring at the new arrivals. Standing next to the chair with his hand on the back was a tall man.

The man laughed derisively. "I guess that's what we get for hiring out our grunts." He took a step forward and cracked his neck both ways and then interlocked his fingers and stretched them forward until they cracked. "I guess it's time for me to get my hands dirty."

"Not just on them!"

The voice had come from above, and suddenly the party noticed the stairs upward in the corner of the room. Down them came tumbling a man that was clearly already dead, and then following was Bunyan walking stately downward. His face was unforgiving. "I would honestly be surprised if you were able to take them all. You won't be able to take them when they have my help!"

It was a signal, and all five combatants flung themselves into the fray. The tall man brought out his sword and pressed the attack on Bunyan who seemed hard pressed to keep up with the ferocity of the attack. Jett danced in and tried a few punches beyond the man's guard but found himself blocked by metal as the man found time to bring his sword away from the fight with Bunyan. Luna had her bow unlimbered and an arrow trained on the man, but she was having trouble finding a clear shot with her companions in melee with him. The man even found the ability to turn Ryu's slashes aside.

It became quickly apparent that this was the toughest enemy that the party had faced in the journey from southern Wyndia. When Jett stepped out of the melee to recover a moment, Luna found her first shot and let loose. It stuck into the meat of the man's off-arm. He yowled in pain and shot the wounded arm out towards the girl, who found herself thrown against the wall of the room and was dazed. After seeing this, Jett cried out with the power of his transformation, and the room was suddenly aglow with the light that accompanied any Ascension.

This seemed to interest the adversary greatly, and he quickly used a heavy technique to get Ryu and Bunyan away from him long enough to breathe "another Ascent!" before he was once again in melee. Ryu and Bunyan were trying to drive the man to the other side of where Nina still sat immobile, but the man simply refused to be driven backward. That is, until he was charged into by a Caballo Ascent that slammed into him after a good running start. The man flew backward toward the opening in the room from which moonlight still streamed and hit the ground with a whumpf. He rose once again with murder in his eyes.

Jett charged again, though this time the man sidestepped the charge and buried his sword to the hilt in the side of the steed. Jett screamed in obvious pain and only a step and a half after clearing the man fell into a sprawl to one side of the doorway, his coat marred by a spreading red stain. Bunyan stepped in and slammed the man out of the doorway and into the night and followed him out. The sounds of continued fighting came in the room from outside, but Ryu had other things to do.

He rushed over to Luna's side and cast a Heal on her. She stood, albeit unsteadily and took a Healing Herb out of her pack and hurried over to Jett while Ryu drew his short sword and walked to Nina. As he approached, he noticed that she was afraid of him, though he didn't really know why. He stepped behind her and slipped his sword between her bonds and cut her free, being careful to not cut the… wings? He had no time to think about them, so he untied the gag for her. She stood up and faced Ryu bowing her head slightly as she said, "Thank you for coming for me."

Ryu blinked. "You're welcome, Princess," he said as he turned toward the opening and rushed out of the room. The other three occupants of the room were right on his heels (Jett remained in his transformed state).

They stepped out onto a metal grating that was ten paces square hanging from stone above with the moon just in sight above the mountains and below the floating city. Luna's appearance in the moonlight quickly shifted into that of her wolf form and she jumped immediately to where Bunyan and the tall man were locked in combat. Ryu, Jett and Nina hot on her heels. Right when Luna was about to strike, the tall man pivoted into one of Bunyan's swings and lifted the bigger man over his shoulder and threw him out into space.

Luna's bite missed her target in shock, Nina gasped a loud negative, and Jett was shocked right back into his original form. Bunyan's large body was falling away from the platform at an alarming speed, and Ryu threw himself to the edge of the platform and tried to extend his arm far enough, but it was no use. Bunyan was too far away and shrinking rapidly. Before his face was too far away to see, Ryu noticed that there was a salm certainty about Bunyan, and just as Bunyan was no longer visible, it seemed like he closed his eyes.

The murderer was laughing. "So much bravado for a man so short on this plane!" he cried, his sword point down in front of him as he faced the remaining four. "I doubt any of you will be any more trouble to me this night, even if you have freed the Princess Ascent."

But Ryu wasn't listening. His extended arm ended no longer in a grasping hand but a clenched fist; the knuckles were as white as the mountain tops. He stood slowly and turned around to face the man who was still laughing at the death of the one man Ryu had actually trusted since he left his seclusion in Ness. Ryu's throat let out a snarl, though no one really noticed, as the other three were circling the man warily. Ryu found, in his anger and despair in one, a white light was just beyond his vision to one side. He flung out his arm to grasp it, both mentally and physically and began the change.

As the white light indicating yet another Ascension that night engulfed the platform, the man positively giggled with glee. "So many Ascents in one place! It's like all of my dreams come true! Can you imagine Lord Yuin's face when I…" he trailed off as he noticed the dragon whelp stalking up from the edge of the platform. Using the moment of surprise to her advantage, Luna lunged and was rewarded with a chunk of the man's thigh between her teeth. He cried out with pain and the battle resumed.

Jett stepped up and provided melee support to Luna while Nina lifted off from the ground, using her wings to remain aloft and cast blasts of magic at her foe. Ryu sprinted into a charge that without effort at all separated the man from Jett and Luna's efforts and let loose his claws and teeth on the man. He had no chance against the dragon, not when Ryu was moving so quickly that his companions were having trouble following his moves. Jett and Luna couldn't even help him, they were afraid of accidentally hitting Ryu instead. After sufficiently weakening his foe, with a little help from Nina's magic, Ryu jumped clear and took a big breath in, and then released a powerful energy breath on the man, pushing him backwards to the edge of the platform.

And then over.

The blast of breath ended right after the man was too far to be able to get back. Ryu stepped back as he watched the man fall as Bunyan did. But the man was screaming in pain and anger instead of being silent like Bunyan had been. Ryu stepped back and in another flash of light he returned to his human form, with a hard look on his face as he watched the man fall out of sight and out of earshot. After a moment of silence, where Nina floated down to alight on the platform, Ryu started walking back into the cave.

Nina put a hand on his shoulder, but Ryu shrugged her off. Nina backed up a step, surprised, letting Ryu re-enter the cave alone.


	14. Interlude: Lost Inside Myself

**Interlude**

**Lost Inside Myself**

She didn't even know her own name anymore.

It had been ages; the time passing had been the first thing to go. Her name was a recent phenomenon, but there had been many things in between. From where she was from to what her own family looked like. All that remained were two rooms. One in which she was expected to rest, and the other in which she was strapped down and subjected to any number of experiences. No wonder she didn't know her_self_ anymore.

She probably knew more about the other girl in the room. It wasn't always the same though. Some days the girl was younger than she felt herself, and others the girl could be old enough that it was a surprise the girl was still alive. Today was an older day, but only by a few years, putting her in her twenties. The other woman was also….looking back at her funnily. It was difficult to tell why the way she was being looked at poked her in some way.

She looked away, unable to keep the stare up any longer. The rest room always had two occupants. When one was taken to someplace else, the other was too. But she had never ended up in the same place as her partner, nor was the person placed with her later the same age. The one exception to this pattern came when suddenly her partner burst into flames. That was a confusing time, as there was light, pain, darkness and next she knew she was alone. Ever since she had a fear of her partner bursting into flame.

This time in the safe room seemed somehow longer than usual, but it was impossible to tell. She was sleeping fitfully, not really succeeding in any rest at all. Her partner didn't seem to be trying to sleep at all, instead wearing a semi-vacant stare towards the other corner of the room. With no warning nor precedent, her partner changed the pattern of their captivity with a single spoken word. "Emily."

Head snapping up to regard her partner, she found that the stare had become intense, no longer only partially paying attention. "What?" she croaked with her ill-used voice.

"Emily. It's my name. I just remembered," the partner said, before lapsing into silence once again. It was the first time that she had remembered her partner – Emily – speaking at all. There was a pregnant pause before she laid herself back down onto the cold stone floor that would leave her sore once again, but at least she'd have some sleep. Even if the sleep she got here was never as restful as she would like, she felt slightly better after having slept than trying to keep awake.

She did think about her name to see if she couldn't come up with it as her partner had. She did remember at one point knowing her name as well, before losing her own. Now she could easily remember Emily mentioning it this particular rest period, though it was a vague notion that she had known it before, not a memory that told her that she had known the name as well as her own. But it had been lost some indeterminate time before she had lost her own.

In that place between waking and sleeping, she vaguely heard Emily muttering her own name over and over. Apparently the same issue had come to Emily and she had remembered her own name with some thought to it. Thinking that perhaps this was something for herself to try, something to remember that would let her keep her own mind, she sat up stretching out the kinks that had found their way into her body in just that short time on the cold stone floor.

She caught herself staring at Emily after a short while when her partner met her gaze, perhaps feeling it upon her. Emily was still muttering to herself, though quieter, leaving her partner to her musings upon her forgotten name. A fear came to her suddenly, and she found herself lost in it very quickly. What if it had been too long? Was her name still hidden among the confines of her just barely sane mind? Was there some dark portion that hid her secrets, or were her secrets no longer with her? What if she was lost? Forever?

She gave into the power of her fear and began to cry as silently as she could as to not disturb her partner. She had been in this place for far too long. She didn't know how much more that she could take, only that she didn't want to. Only that she wanted whatever it was that she had beforehand _back_. She wanted something that she could not have so strongly that her whole body shook with the power of her sweeping feelings. Her fear and want coursed through her with such force that she was unable to do anything but ride it out.

Her sobbing was easily audible now, and she decided that it was a lost cause and let her restraint, as much as she had successfully conjured, go. She brought her hands to her face to hide herself from her partner, who was so obviously doing better at this captivity than she was. Weak as she was, all she could do was continue to sob into her heavily scarred palms. She was about to begin wailing her grief for herself when she felt a presence by her side. She looked up to find Emily, blurry though definitely next to her. She felt a hand try to give her slight comfort by rubbing her arm.

Giving in to a sudden urge, she launched herself at her partner's body and was easily caught and held gently. She sobbed into her chest for an indeterminate amount of time. Just like everything else that had happened in this room, time was impossible to determine. However, there was a difference with this one. The amount of time that she was in Emily's arms felt just right. When she was out of tears, the two young women were seated next to each other instead of across the room.

"They can't keep us forever," Emily said after an unknown period. Though Emily's partner made a disbelieving, though watery, sniff, Emily took her by the shoulders and made her look into her eyes. "They will make a mistake. And when they do, we will get out of here. Together." The fierce look in Emily's eyes spoke volumes more than her words ever could. It was this and not the words that made a small portion of her partner's broken mind rekindle its flame. Finally, she recovered the bits of sanity that she had been clinging to until she had broken down due to the stress of the situation. She was back.

She still didn't know her name, but she figured that there would be ample time for that later. She was back.


	15. Act II Prologue: Journey Anew

**Act II: Adolescence  
Prologue: Journey Anew**

All of the things that Ryu planned to take with him were finally in the pack that he had prepared. He was ready to go. He stretched as he looked around the room. He'd been there and slept there long enough that it had even begun to look and feel like home. Though really, the reason he had begun to feel comfortable in the place was the people, and he was going to have to do most of his trip on his own.

"I still want to go," came the mild voice from behind him.

"And you still can't," was Ryu's response. He lifted the pack as he turned around to face Luna, who was leaning on the doorjamb. "For lots and lots of reasons, but only two are important enough for them to matter. First, the King won't let you leave until you've mastered your Ascension to the point that you don't have to transform every night you're outside and…"

"And I can't go in the Dragon Shrines. I know. I could help you through the Temples!" Luna said with vigor, though her heart was obviously not in it. It was a rehashing of the argument they'd already had. Multiple times. "It's not like I would be _useless_…"

"No one ever argued that," Ryu said, more than slightly exasperated with this line of thought. "I'd like it if you could come, but you can't. Your instructor did say that you might be ready by the time I undertake my next pilgrimage."

Her eyes narrowed. "I hardly want to wait _another _three years before I get to leave this Castle without incredible trickery!" Ryu chuckled. It _was _hard to leave the Castle without someone finding out, though both of them had managed it on more than one occasion. Often together.

"You'll get there, and faster than you think you will," Ryu told her as he led the way out into the corridor. "I'm just annoyed I can't just go where I please and find my father so that I can figure out what to do with myself. I do need to figure that out in three years, and then I'll need a companion. I imagine you'd like to come searching with me?"

Luna grinned. "There's no way you can stop me." They clasped hands and then Luna headed the opposite way than Ryu as he headed down towards the audience chamber. Luna was always the informal type, and having her goodbye like that… it suited. Ryu chuckled. He would miss her constant yapping though.

There weren't very many people he needed to say goodbye to, as his social life had basically been Luna with a couple minor players here and there. Jett had since 'graduated', since he was now eighteen and mature by Ascent standards and could control his forms. He had left to act as an Agent like Bunyan had. He picked up the slack in handling Ascent affairs, and had even visited a few times with young charges in tow. His stories, however, were generally bleak in nature.

_I'll find out for myself as I travel this continent now._ He was excited to get out there and to see things. And this time he didn't feel like that he had some sort of time limit in which to get information somewhere. This time he could take his time, do his best, and have a normal pilgrimage session. The one his sister hadn't been able to have. _I _have _to succeed in becoming my unique form. For her, and mother._ He was sure his father would approve.

He arrived in the audience chamber at the same time as one of the Princess Guard, a woman by the name of Leah. She was laying her pack down to the side and Ryu followed suit.

"Ah! You're leaving with us?" she asked in her lilting voice. She was probably in her mid-thirties, but she was as full of energy as Luna was, so it was hard to remember how old she was.

"Yeah. Going the same way for a while. Safer to travel together a bit, right?" Ryu responded as they both shrugged their shoulders as a response to the lost weight.

"It makes sense," another of the Princess Guard said as he joined them, placing his pack beside the two already there. "Even though both you and the Princess are experienced fighters and Ascents, having companions along is always a good idea." Ryu nodded.

More and more were arriving in the chamber, though there was no sign of any of the Royal Family as of yet. Ryu was unsure of how he felt about the Princess, his soon-to-be traveling companion for a while. When the King had suggested that the two trips be combined, Ryu had to grudgingly admit that it made sense. Nina wouldn't be coming with him the whole way; in fact, he would leave her behind long before his trip was really begun.

One of Ryu's two assigned guard appeared and placed his own pack next to Ryu's. He slapped Ryu's shoulder in greeting. Ryu smiled at him. "Hey, Lance."

Lance, a tall and somewhat burly soldier, grinned back at him widely. "I betcha you're excited about this little venture."

"You bet I am," Ryu replied. "It's about time."

Lance chuckled, but did not respond, as the other of Ryu's guard walked up at that moment. James silently greeted his two companions with a nod and placed his pack next to the other two. Lance gave Ryu a significant look, while Ryu rolled his eyes. Lance was convinced that James would never say a word that was unnecessary, and had told Ryu as much that morning. Ryu thought it was unimportant. It was just the way the guy was.

It was at that moment that the guard who stood at the entrance to the Chamber that the Royal Family would use rapped his long staff on the ground five times, each time letting the sound resound throughout the chamber. "His Royal Highness, the King of Wyndia approaches. Her Royal Highness, the Queen of Wyndia approaches. Her Royal Highness, the Princess Nina of Wyndia approaches," he said, projecting the sound so that it could even be heard in the waiting chamber just outside the audience chamber.

From the doorway beside the guard, the King swept in first, followed by his wife and daughter. The King and Queen were in their finest robes and such, while Nina was in travel livery. She was beaming with expectation of the trip, but was managing to keep herself stately in her movements. She moved to her smaller throne to the King's left, while the King took the center throne and the Queen took the one to his right. Once the three Royals were seated, the guards stood up from their bows. Ryu followed suit.

"I call Ryu Gensu, Ascent of the Dragon Clan and his support to audience," the King said, loudly, though without force. Ryu and his two guards moved from the side of the audience chamber to the center and dropped to one knee each. "Rise." They did. "Today is an auspicious day for you, young Ryu. Many happy returns on your fifteenth birthday." At this, the entire chamber shook with a single cheer in unison.

"Ryu!"

The King chuckled, but was not surprised at this. It was traditional when the Guard celebrated a birthday. Ryu's face was aflame, so the King moved swiftly onward. "Today is also important in that you will begin your second journey to the four temples on this continent to train yourself in ways of the Dragon. Though your support will help you get to and through each temple, the tasks within the Shrines are yours and yours alone. Good luck."

The three bowed once again and returned to their places on the side of the chamber as the King spoke again. "I call Nina White, Princess of Wyndia and her support to audience." At his words the rest of the room other than the Queen and Ryu's team rose and assembled in the center of the chamber. Nina herself rose from her chair and gracefully walked to a place just in front of her assembled guard and deeply curtsied to her father. "Rise." They did.

The King's kindly smile was obviously pointed at his daughter. "Today is also a significant day for you, my daughter. You are traveling to visit the neighboring country of Tantar, where you have been cordially invited to stay with Lord Ghering for a few days. Afterward you shall return here and we shall discuss what you think of the Tantarian court and all you learned there. Be safe, and do not take unnecessary risks."

Nina nodded. She then turned and dismissed her Guard to wait at the gates of the Castle to await her. The Guard Captain remained in the chamber and stepped forward so that she was just behind and to the right of Nina. Ryu and his two companions walked forward to stand to Nina's right, each of the companions slightly behind and to the side of him.

The King took a moment to slide his eyes across all of them. "It is safer to travel together in these troubled times. Ryu, you are to escort her as far as the Tantar capital, and then you may break off of her entourage and head to the Temples. Is that acceptable to you?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

The King gave a stern look to both of the teenagers. There was a long pause, and finally the King had chosen a single word that he admonished both of them with: "Behave."

"You are dismissed." With that, the five of them turned and headed down the steps of the audience chamber.

* * *

Ryu wasn't sure about what to make of the parade. Nina rode at the head of the column with her personal guard surrounding her. Ryu, Lance and James remained near the back of the column, though were obviously an important part of the entourage. Though most of the praise and cheering were naturally for the Princess's passing, there was some that was reserved for the three men riding in a triangle as the rear guard.

It probably helped that other than a few of the Guard and Nina, they were the only ones mounted.

He saw a lot more people lining the main thoroughfare through the city than he thought the city could actually contain. While he thought it was possible that some had come from Angel's Creek or even Chaive, but he thought it was unlikely. The entourage was scheduled to go through both towns, and the citizens would have their own opportunity to see Royalty up close.

Though Ryu was not exactly happy about all of the pairs of eyes that were on him as well as the rest of the train he was a part of, he dealt with it admirably. James and Lance, knowing that their charge didn't like quite so much attention, were both settled back in their saddles, unworried about their charge's handling of the situation. Ryu grumpily thought they had more confidence in his self control than he did.

Finally, after what was an eternity to Ryu, but couldn't have been more than half an hour, the entourage reached the end of the street. Here, the buildings ended, and even the island ended in the creepy elevator. Ryu smiled, unable to squash his sudden memory of how Luna had been forced to ride the thing despite her fears. Unfortunately, because the party was now far more than just four people, they had to split into shifts to go down. First went a unit of the Guard, then Nina, the Guard Captain, a few more guard and Ryu's team. Behind them in the third shift were the rest of the Guard.

Ryu got on the elevator and walked briskly to the opposite corner to watch the approaching peak. It was one of the few peaks that broke what was nearly a perfect circle of peaks that surrounded the abyss over which the island floated. It was the only one that broke it this far, as well as inward toward the center of the circle. It was an awe-inducing sight, even if Ryu had seen it before.

"You've been here before, I see," Leah said from behind him. Lance and James gave her cordial greetings which she returned before she continued. "The ones who haven't are easy to spot, aren't they?" One look over the woman's shoulder was all Ryu needed.

"They are," he said simply, before turning back and continuing to regard the view himself.

"Truth be told," Leah continued, "I wonder how useful some of the Guard that haven't been outside the Castle will be on this journey. Considering the current climate, I wouldn't be surprised if we are more than just window dressing around the Princess."

"You're expecting an attack?" Lance asked. All four of them were looking out at the mountains, not at each other.

"Can't say for sure," Leah said, her voice light. "It's not like I know the future."

"You don't agree with this trip," James remarked quietly. It wasn't a question.

"I don't like the Tantarian movements along their borders with both Wyndia and Romero," Leah sighed, her voice was even lower now. Ryu had to strain to hear her. "Something just seems fishy about this invite."

"Well, your job is to make sure the King doesn't regret the trip," Lance said, more serious than usual. "You know how to signal the Agents nearby if things get hairy, and we won't be far until you turn back." Leah nodded, but it didn't seem like she was all that reassured.

The elevator stopped; they had reached the peak. All of the occupants got off and the forward Guard members stood and stretched as the elevator sped away to pick up the rest of the party. Leah was staring off into the abyss with James beside her, but Lance clapped Ryu on the back and led him away from the other two. "Come on, let's toast to a journey begun!"


	16. II:1: Retracing Steps

**Act II: Adolescence  
Chapter 1: Retracing Steps  
Party: Ryu, Lance, James / Nina, Entourage**

The trip down the mountain was easy. Much easier than when he had ascended it three years before. What with all of Nina's guard making sure that no monster got within 500 yards of the Princess, Ryu and his companions managed to remain unmolested for most of the trip. Ryu was taking note of the quick path they were using down the mountain. It was only a day-long trip with soldiers that were trained for travel, which was good. Ryu hadn't enjoyed camping on the mountainside last time and didn't think he would now either.

Instead, camp was set just as they reached the foothills of the mountain range. Angel's Creek was less than a day to the southeast, but they wanted to arrive in daylight so that the people would be able to cheer like they had in Wyndia. Ryu brought it up to Lance later, and he cracked up. "Still don't want to be in that entourage, do you? Well, I say just deal with it; we won't have to do this kind of thing for most of our journey anyway, and it's nice to be bowed and scraped to." Ryu resigned himself for more stares and sighed.

Though the Princess Guard was taking the duty of sitting the watches so that the "important guest of the Royal Family" could have more sleep, Ryu was unable to sleep. It didn't take very long before he gave it up as a bad job and took a walk around the camp. The sentries on duty did not pay much attention to him, which suited him fine. All he really wanted to do was breathe in the night air. It wasn't quite as cool and crisp as it was up in the mountains or on the floating isle. Instead, it was a lot like the southern plains; a lot like being outside in Ness on such a night.

Ryu wasn't sure if that was why he remained awake on his first night back in such a low altitude or if it was simply the fact that he was traveling again. Or maybe it had nothing to do with anything, and he was simply assigning whatever meaning would let him understand it in his own mind. He slowly rolled his shoulders back and looked around at the cascading land just beneath the mountains that lay behind him. He could just barely see the glow of Angel's Creek over one of the hills to the southeast.

He felt a presence approach him, and he turned around to find the Princess just behind him with a strange look on her face. Ryu made to rise, but she stopped him. "Don't; you don't have to do that."

"I have to show you respect, Princess."

"Yes, I know, but…" she stamped her foot onto the soft grass of the hill. It made very little sound, and this seemed to frustrate her all the more. "I want to be your _friend_, not someone you show all this formality to!"

There was a pause. "Did you want to join me, Princess?"

Nina brushed her hands down her obviously already immaculate clothes before answering. "Yes, I did." With dignity, she walked over and placed herself on the ground next to Ryu.

Ryu returned to losing himself in the sensations of the plains. Angel's Creek was a town with interesting memories attached. He wondered idly what had happened to the kids that Luna and he had met there last time he was there. Maybe the Knights…

"Ryu…"

He blinked, and turned toward the Princess, who was looking at him. She seemed to take a steadying breath before speaking again. "Happy Birthday," she said finally, before she quickly looked away from him and out where he had been looking before.

Ryu smiled. "Thank you, Princess." He hadn't been expecting something so routine as a birthday wish, but considering how the day had gone, she hadn't really had the opportunity to do it before that moment without the whole Guard looking on. As it was, Ryu found that though the camp was still well-guarded, there were enough Princess Guardsmen that had ventured out so that Nina remained within the guard perimeter.

The Princess Guard had been commissioned officially after the successful kidnapping that Ryu had been part of the rescue for. The King had been very embarrassed about Ryu, Luna and Jett coming to Nina's aid, and rather incensed at Bunyan's untimely demise. To prevent any similar events, a portion of the Guard was reassigned permanently to ward Princess Nina from harm. The newly christened "Princess Guard" was put through rigorous training and became the second most well trained body of the Castle Guard, only coming up short on the Elite Knights, who warded the King.

Regardless of the witnesses to the moment shared by the two teenagers of the party, they both said nothing for a long time. It wasn't exactly awkwardness that caused it. Ryu, for his own part, didn't say anything because he had nothing to say. What do you say to a Princess, anyway? It wasn't like they knew each other well, or anything like that. Whether you could call them friends was a question somewhere in his mind. Though that is what she wanted. _I want to be your _friend.

Well, since despite his coming out this far had been for the purpose of being alone, he didn't mind that she was there. Really, he just minded her guards being so close. _They probably don't trust me._ He had to suppress a snort at that. He had been in the Castle for years, allowed closer access to the Princess than most people in Wyndia had in their lifetimes. And he'd helped save her life before the Princess Guard even existed. If they didn't trust him after all of that, then they didn't trust anybody at all.

"Do they have to be so close?"

"Hmm?"

"Your Guard. Do they have -"

"Oh." Nina thought about it for a second. Then she raised her voice. "Out of sight, please." It only took a few seconds before the Guard, while still protecting them, were farther away and somewhat hidden. If Ryu didn't think about it too hard, it would be easy to forget they were there.

"Sorry about them. They're just a little overprotective so far. I mean, we're in the heart of the Kingdom; we're not in any danger here. I can easily handle the monsters around here; _you_ could probably take them with a blindfold and only one arm. There's little reason for them to be so protective when we're still so close to the Castle and…"

"Princess?"

Nina stopped suddenly and blushed. "Sorry."

"It's fine. I just wanted to look out at grasslands for the first time in a while in peace. You can do the same if you'd like," Ryu said, not looking at the Princess.

Nina nodded, blushing further, even though Ryu couldn't see it, and the two teenagers admired the view in silence.

* * *

The next day's parade was just as nerve-wracking as Ryu had feared it would be, but just like the one before it, he managed all the way through and into the Mayor's Residence, where the local Royal Quarters were kept (No one would ask the Princess to stay in an inn, after all). Ryu and his compatriots were assigned to the guest room closest to the Royal Quarters, which seemed to indicate that Ryu was in actuality a trusted person when it came to the Princess after all, if the Guard's willingness to leave at her command hadn't been enough.

They had arrived in the early afternoon, so there was still time to explore the town, but Ryu decided that he didn't want to try to find the street urchins that Luna and he had met the last time he was in the town because of his protective detail. Two Princess Guard were assigned to him, as Lance and James were otherwise occupied with something that they didn't feel like telling Ryu about. Though this didn't bother him all that much. What bothered him was the fact that the two Guardsmen wouldn't let him outside the city walls. The day was uneventful.

The following day the party paraded out of the city, but left early enough that there weren't nearly as many who turned out to watch them. They were attempting to make it all the way to and through Lunaire Forest before nightfall, and thus left just before first light. The trip was about as eventful as the trek down the mountain. With so many in the party, it was easier for the monsters to find them, but also extremely easy for the party to dispatch them.

Without any great incident, the party exited the forest just after nightfall, and camped underneath some of the more sparsely spread trees that dotted the plains just to the south. That night everyone slept well save those who had watch, as they had been up a long time.

The entourage reached Chaive mid-morning the following day, and paraded through, just like they had in Angel's Creek. However, once settled in the rooms provided by the local government, Ryu pulled Lance and James aside in one of the corridors of the residence.

"I'm going to visit Ness," Ryu said without preamble. "I want to see it again, and I want to have the official start and end of my Second Journey to be Ness, as it was always supposed to be."

James nodded without comment. Lance laughed. "I guess I should have expected this from you, Ryu. We have time today to get there, and we can catch up with the rest of the entourage before they get to the border. We'll escort you there and back, as that is what we're here for."

Ryu smiled. "Thank you."

"But you'll have to be the one who lets Nina know," Lance added. "It's only fair; it's your idea."

Ryu, not understanding why Lance was laughing now and James seemed amused, cautiously agreed. "Alright…"

"Good! It's settled," Lance said, and then the two of them were off down the corridor. "We'll get your pack ready for you. Don't dawdle!" and then they were out of sight.

Ryu stared after them unblinkingly for a few moments before he turned and headed the opposite way, toward the Royal Quarters. The door into the Quarters was just around the corner from where the conversation had taken place, and was easy to find for the four Guards that stood at attention outside. Ryu tried to walk up to the door and knock, but was stopped by a Guard, while another one knocked on the door. He heard Nina's voice from within ask "Yes?" before the Guard opened the door enough for his face to be seen.

"Ryu the Ascent is here to see you, Princess," he said.

Nina made a sigh that was more than a little exasperated. "I told you to let him in if he comes by. Let him." The Guards took this in stride, merely ushering Ryu in the door before shutting it behind him. The room within was rather large and somewhat reminiscent of the palace. The blue and white with yellow trim that ran through the entire palace was here as well. There wasn't an object in the room that didn't conform to the color scheme. There were two doors off of the room in which were a bedroom and another room, though Ryu could not guess what. It was by far the nicest room in the Residence. Nina was seated on a chair next to the fireplace just setting down a book on the table that was adjacent. "I'm sorry about that," she said. "They just won't obey me about letting some people knock themselves or let themselves into the sitting room."

"I imagine they wish to protect you adequately, Princess."

Nina huffed. "I wish you'd call me Nina." She indicated the chair that was across the face of the fireplace from her. "Please sit." Ryu walked over and sat in the chair and found it very comfortable. "What brings you by? I'm glad you caught me here; the Mayor probably wants to parade me in front of the high mucky-mucks of Chaive before long."

Ryu decided to just press on with his news. "I – er, that is, my escort and I – are going to leave your party temporarily to visit Ness."

Nina's eyes got very wide. "Oh! I always wanted to see Ness! I can change our route so that it includes the town, so you don't have to leave us-"

Ryu shook his head. "You'll be able to keep the schedule originally set. You don't want to be late in your state visit, Princess. It would be better if I – and my escort – went on this detour alone."

"You'll be safer in the main party," Nina countered, "You won't have to deal with any monsters yourself and be stronger when you confront your past."

Ryu bristled. "You said yourself, Princess: I can handle the monsters here in Wyndia. I'd be in no danger. And Lance and James are no slouches either."

"I didn't mean-"

"Your mission is your priority, Princess. My journey and its trials are mine. This is a trial for me, but it doesn't have to be for you. Stay here today and continue on. We'll be back with you before you reach the border."

Nina folded her arms and scowled. "I'd rather go with you."

Ryu sighed. "It's better if you didn't."

There was a long silence.

Finally, Nina broke it. "Fine. On one condition."

"What?"

"You call me Nina from now on in private, or Princess Nina when in a formal situation."

"A-alright."

Nina raised her eyebrows.

Ryu took on an amused grin. "Alright, Nina."

Nina smiled and sought her book. "That's better. We'll search for you if you're not with us in the border fort."

Ryu nodded and rose. "Thank you, Princess." This earned him a hard look. "Nina." That, a smile. He left the room a little confused.

* * *

Ryu, Lance and James left Chaive and headed southwest towards Ness. The monsters gave them no trouble; though the monster population had changed slightly since Ryu had last journeyed through the area alone. The slimes were tougher and they found some coyotes on the prowl. Lance fought with his own namesake ("It seems to fit me, after all"), and was very accurate with his throws. James wielded a quarterstaff which, while effective in most combat situations, was nearly useless against the slimes. Both Lance and James were faster with their weapons than Ryu was with his sword.

Ryu now wielded a full length sword, having been trained in its use for the past three years. He wielded a sword much better than he had before he had made it to Wyndia, and he could even do more with smaller swords. His increased strength gave him the ability to swing the very light small swords twice in the time it took him to swing a full-size sword once. He kept a short sword on his person, though for the monsters populating Southern Wyndia he preferred the power of the larger weapon.

The party also had its share of magical prowess. Lance was adept in a few basic fire spells. James had a more robust spell list, including basic water and earth spells as well as a few healing. Ryu had developed his healing spells further, but also had basic anti-undead and Light element spells. None of these spells were necessary for the trip to Ness, but the party had discussed the spells presence just in case they were necessary.

What they hadn't discussed was Ryu's ability to transform into a dragon. Ever since the day that he had saved Nina and watched Bunyan fall from the floating island, Ryu had been able to transform into a dragon at will. He had only the one form, but he could become it at any time he had the energy to spare. It cost him dearly to use it, so he didn't at all unless it was necessary, or he was training it back at Castle Wyndia. He was now fairly adept with its abilities, and couldn't wait to see what else he would learn about his transformation on his Second Journey.

About a league or so east of Ness, James and Lance suddenly stopped and dropped their packs to the ground and rummaged through them. Ryu, who had continued on a few steps when this happened, stopped and turned around to regard them. Lance found what he was looking for first and pulled out a small glowing stone and stood up. Shortly afterward, James found an identical stone in his own pack and stood along with Lance. They held the stones aloft and they released a blue glow over themselves. Then they put the stones back in the packs as the stones faded. "What was that?" Ryu asked them as they began to put their packs back on.

"Well," Lance grunted as he adjusted the weight on his back, "you can go through the barrier that protects Ness because you're an Ascent. Humans like us need some magic 'help' to get through it, and that's the help we were provided for the journey."

"Did the King know I was going to come here?" Ryu asked as he continued to lead the way to Ness.

"I don't know," Lance replied. "I think it's best to be prepared. After all, you _did_ come here." Ryu had no answer to that.

It wasn't long after that when they reached the ruins. It was pretty much the way that Ryu remembered it, though there was more greenery encroaching upon the stone outcroppings that used to make up the buildings. While Lance and James inspected some of it, they let Ryu roam alone among his old childhood haunts. He remembered his father and mother and sister. He remembered the fun times he had with his sister, his friends… he remembered when his father gave him his first weapon and began training him in its use. He remembered the day that he and his sister went out to the cliffs to the west.

He stopped in front of the ruins of the Elders' Tower. He stared at what was obviously the chair that Elder Hammet had loved. He clicked his boot heels together to stand at attention. "Today," he started, but faltered a moment. After a pause and a deep breath, he spoke with more measured tones.

"Today I begin the second journey of learning. When complete, I will return here and report that I have done so before returning to Wyndia to continue my training in the craft before my third journey, which I will also start here. I promise to make the journeys and keep the laws of our people."

Ryu stopped. He realized that he had nothing else to say, but simply bowed to the tower's ruins in respect before turning to find Lance and James. The party left shortly afterward, planning to camp outside of the barrier.

None of them noticed their watcher.


	17. II:2: A New Country

**Act II: Adolescence  
Chapter 2: A New Country  
Party: Ryu, Lance, James / Nina, Entourage**

Ryu, Lance and James reached the border fort in the mid-afternoon of the next day, apparently before Nina and her Guard. This suited Ryu just fine. "I don't care if we get there before or after them," he had told James at one point, "as long as we don't arrive _with_ them and have to be in some damn parade." For the first time on the journey, Ryu was met with no pageantry at all. He felt quite good about it.

James and Lance had the necessary identification to tell the Knight Commander of the fort that they were traveling with the Princess and her guard, and to expect them that evening, as scheduled. It was kind of odd to watch the two taller men deferring to the diminutive Knight Commander. The party was showed to barracks, as there was only one proper guest room, and that was to be saved for Nina upon her arrival. The barracks were, of course, rather sparse, so Ryu found himself exploring the fort.

The fort's design was simple and defensible - square with round towers in the corners and towers that framed each entrance. It was placed along the river that formed the border with neighboring Tantar. One of the entrances led down to a dock where quite a few boats were moored. The other bank was far enough away that the mist of early evening threatened to obscure the fort on the other side. The fort that they would be traveling by boat to in the morning of the following day.

None of the Knights on duty would say anything to Ryu, though they tolerated his presence so long as he didn't get in the way. The off-duty Knights were ensconced with their families. So Ryu contented himself with the views from the fort and thus was one of the first who spotted the Princess and her Guard approaching the fort from the north-northwest. All of the off-duty Knights and all those on duties other than watching the river border snapped to attention along the central courtyard to greet Her Highness the Princess of Wyndia.

Ryu didn't know whether he was disappointed there was no parade or simply disappointed that the one time there was no parade in a Wyndian settlement, he wouldn't have been a part of it. Though the families of the Wyndian Knights that were stationed there came out of their dwellings to watch, it wasn't nearly as much of a big deal as it was in the more civilian-based settlements that they had passed through. Regardless, he was happy to watch from the wall, rather than be inside the ceremony.

Ryu was leaning against the southern tower looking out at the river as it winded south of the fort when the door adjacent to him opened and several Princess Guards came out followed by their charge. She smiled at him. "Good. Agent James was accurate with his description of where you were." She signaled to her escort, and they scattered. Some went inside the tower while others watched every conceivable direction from a short ways off on the wall. "I'm glad you were here and I didn't have to worry about you."

"I'm glad you finally took my suggestion," Ryu said, "Nina."

Nina gave him a wry grin. "Ah, but I got something out of it." Her expression sobered. "Unfortunately, we won't be able to talk like this once we're in Tantar."

Ryu nodded. "Your father told me. We're just travelers that you've taken into your protection; nothing special to the Royal Family, and especially not a Dragon Ascent with his escort."

Nina nodded, perhaps a touch more gravely. She walked to the notches of the wall and looked out at the grassland of Southern Wyndia that lay to their southwest. "I'm a little worried about this trip. Tantar and Wyndia haven't exactly been on the most friendly of terms lately."

"Then what are all these bozos," Ryu indicated the Princess Guard, which he suddenly hoped was just out of hearing, "for? They've been trained to protect you, and they've got to have multiple ways to get you out of danger at the cost of their own lives."

"That's part of the issue, Ryu," Nina said, turning around. "Do you think I'd feel alright if people had to die for my safety?"

"You're a Princess, Nina," Ryu said. "You are far more important to your people than your Guard is."

"Though it is completely normal to worry about the well-being of your Guard. Heck, it makes me happy you have such concerns for them." The new voice was Leah, who came through the door that Nina had. Her auburn hair was flowing everywhere in the wind, which made a stark contrast to Nina's very disciplined blonde. The fact that she was a head taller than both teens seemed more obvious on the wall than elsewhere. "Your heart is certainly in the right place, Princess."

Nina blushed. She stuttered her thanks. "T-thank you, Agent Leah."

"You needn't worry about any potential problems; that's our job. The visit of state is yours. You just need to worry about not committing faux pas against their officials. We'll make sure they give you no trouble. However," she turned to Ryu, "we should probably discuss the parts of our escape plans the Princess needs to know about before we go into Tantar tomorrow. Will you leave us to do that?"

Nina scowled, but Ryu bowed his head in acceptance. "Don't worry, Princess…Nina," Ryu said as he bowed to her more formally. "I imagine we'll have more opportunity to talk once we're both home safe." And with that, he left via the tower door and headed down to his quarters. It was getting dark, and he didn't want to be tired while in Tantar. It was undoubtedly a more dangerous place than Southern Wyndia.

* * *

The party crossed the river the following morning in five longboats each steered by a Wyndian Knight not in the Princess Guard. No one was rowing any of the boats, so Ryu assumed the Wyndian Knights in question were using water magic to propel themselves across the water. In that theory's favor, the boat went across at a speed that would have been impossible to row. Ryu was thankful, but didn't really like the idea of being beholden to magic.

They reached the docks at the border fort on the other side quickly and disembarked under the watchful eyes of men in light green armor, which was a stark contrast to the Knights and Guard's blue. The bright purple and green flag flew in the air above them, reminding them that they were no longer in their own territory. A man in green livery with purple trim bowed deeply to Nina, who took the lead for once. "This way, Your Highness."

Ryu, Lance and James fell into step with the Princess Guard somewhat near the back of the line, but not all the way. The Tantaran guards didn't so much as bat an eye at their presence, despite James and Lance no longer bearing the uniform of Agents of Wyndia. The party was led quickly and efficiently through the fort to a group of guards awaiting them outside. Ryu didn't catch much of what was being said between the man and Nina, but it seemed obvious that this was to be their escort.

Ryu was right, and the escort, the Princess Guard, the Princess, and Ryu and his companions all made their way to the town of Ploya. The trip took most of the rest of the day, and they found themselves entering the settlement just as the bottom of the sun was reaching the western horizon. They entered without the huge pomp that involved entering a Wyndian settlement with a Wyndian Princess, but a foreign dignitary certainly drew attention from the masses. They were met a short way into the town by the local Duke, or so James told Ryu later the man's title was. He was somewhat rotund in stature and seemed very used to the trappings of his station.

He, the main body of the Princess Guard and the escort were heading to what Ryu guessed was the Duke's Residence, or at least the place where foreign dignitaries were housed. A portion of the escort Tantaran guards broke off from the main section to corral Ryu and his two companions, who were no longer in uniform, but casual traveling clothes of deep green and brown.

Nina noticed this movement, and made a few discrete hand gestures to a Guard Sergeant with a glance for Ryu. The portion of the Princess Guard that was behind Ryu stopped as one and went with Ryu's group, causing an argument between the Sergeant of the Princess Guard and the leader of the detachment of Tantarans. Ryu didn't catch any of the conversation, but the Princess Guard remained with them, and the Sergeant seemed rather pleased with himself.

In any case, they were shown to an inn that was on the outskirts of town. It wasn't exactly dilapidated, but it certainly wasn't the best inn in the town. Ryu didn't mind too terribly much; it was just one night. But James and Lance were cautious and wary, and the Princess Guard members that they put up in an adjacent room were also on alert. The Tantaran guard's leader just seemed to be mildly insulted that they didn't trust him. Ryu thought it was a matter of course to not trust them.

Once ensconced in the room in which they were staying, James voiced his concerns. "It seems that they want to isolate the travelers."

"I can see that," Lance replied quietly, "but are they trying to isolate us from our protection? Or the unknown quantity from Nina?"

"Or is it all innocently classism?" Ryu asked, bringing the attention of the two Agents to him. "Maybe they're just treating us like the dirt they think we are. After all, our cover story is a few travelers who wanted the protection of the Princess's party for the trip until Tuntar."

Lance and James looked at each other. James had to look up slightly in order to look at his partner's face. Both men's facial expressions were identically dubious, but James was the one who spoke first. "Possible."

Lance snorted. "Very unlikely in my head, but also very possible. I guess we'll just have to watch and wait."

"And be ready," James added.

Lance's grin turned wry. "That too."

Ryu, Lance and James took turns at watch that night, though nothing happened. The morning came without incident, and a member of the Princess Guard came by to wake them and escort them back to Nina's side. He was, of course, escorted himself by Tantarans, and Ryu guessed that this was why he looked positively harassed. The full party reassembled just outside of town and headed further yet northeast toward the Tantaran capital of Tuntar. The trip was as easy as any Ryu and company had taken when within Nina's entourage. Ryu never really got a close look at the local monster population, as they were defeated far away from the main body of the entourage. Ryu wondered which country's soldiers did the honors.

Tuntar came within sight just as the sun was starting on its downward trek to the west. It had such obviously tall buildings that there was speculation quietly among the Princess Guard just how tall some of the buildings were long before the party was first spotted by the watchmen on the walls of the city. The city gleamed in the afternoon sunlight, though not as prettily from that direction as it would in the morning. The entourage was hailed from the top of the gatehouse as it seemed to be in the process of closing on their arrival. The hail was answered by the commander of the troop of Tantaran guards with them, and the gate was hoisted back up for their entry.

This time they were met not far down the main thoroughfare by an obviously important person. When he reached them, he bowed, and Nina bowed back to him before a conversation struck up between them. Just like in the last town, a portion of the guards of both countries separated from the main body of troops in order to escort the travelers to their inn. The difference this time was that the troops left once James, Lance and Ryu were inside the inn safely.

"I guess we misjudged them a little bit," Lance said as he placed his pack down underneath what would be his bed that night. "They're just stingy and mean to the lower class. Nothing personal."

James simply nodded in agreement, wavy brown hair bobbing, while Ryu shrugged. That had been what he had been expecting the whole time. It had always been weird to him to be treated so well by the Royal Family of Wyndia, and being treated like a member of the lower-class by the important people in Tantar seemed to fit the mold a bit better. However, James and Lance were still being cautious, so they implemented a watch that night despite the fact that they seemed to be safe in that inn. This turned out to be an excellent idea. Not long after Ryu had succumbed to sleep he was awoken roughly by Lance shaking him. "Get up, Ryu," he whispered.

Ryu was instantly awake and sat up so fast that Lance had to jump back with a chuckle. In the dark, it was impossible to see any colors other than the vivid red of Lance's hair. There was nothing going on in the room other than James packing up once again. "What's going on?" Ryu inquired, not without a yawn.

"Leah's called for help. It seems we were right about poor intentions after all," Lance replied shouldering on his pack and nodding to James his thanks.

Ryu blinked stupidly for a moment. "What?!"

James, now also wearing his pack, handed Ryu his. "We're off to save the Princess. You should come, since you've done this before."


	18. II:3: Rescue in the Night

**Act II: Adolescence  
Chapter 3: Rescue in the Night  
Party: Ryu, Lance, James**

The party quietly made their way out of the inn via the window in their room and into the back alleys of Tuntar. Ryu quietly asked Lance how exactly Leah had called for help. "It's a signal that all the Agents of the Wyndian Crown know, and she apparently used a lantern to flash it out of one of the windows in the closest tower of the Imperial Palace." Ryu looked up, but the palace was not in sight. "I don't know if she's managed to keep the signal going this long," Lance added. "She should have received my response, and I don't think there are any other Agents in the city. She probably didn't bother after I'd responded."

The route the three took through the city's streets was winding, but James seemed to know exactly where he was leading them, so neither Lance nor Ryu questioned him. Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, the imperial palace loomed above them menacingly. James turned his head and put a finger to his lips. Once Ryu and Lance had mirrored this signal, James took one last look at the vicinity slid stealthily toward a particular entrance of the Palace. Lance and Ryu followed imitating him as best they could.

The door was locked, but more importantly, it was also unguarded. It only took a minute or so for James to pick the lock successfully. He let Lance and Ryu inside and then shut and locked the door behind them. They had made it inside. Unfortunately, they didn't remain completely undetected for very long.

"Hey! You there!" A guard who suddenly came around the corner called, lifting his lantern to see them better. This made it harder for him to defend himself from a quarterstaff that slammed into his gut. Once doubled over, James whacked him soundly on the head and he fell to the floor unconscious. The danger past, the party continued on its trek, trusting James to know his way around the palace.

They met a few more guards along the way, but the party took care of each quickly and quietly, not bothering to hide the guards' bodies. This became especially true once they started hearing the sounds of battle above them. The party exchanged a look before continuing on, their pace increased twofold.

On the fifteenth floor of the tower in question, they found three members of the Princess Guard fighting at least ten enemy guardsmen. Many bodies lay strewn about the corridor, but the door had not been breached.

"We need reinforcements! Private, go call more guards!" As one of the enemy guards hastened to obey, the party hid in ambush. They took him out without him even knowing what happened the instant he was out of sight of the melee. With that guard taken care of, the party charged the unsuspecting enemy party. The remaining two Princess Guard redoubled their efforts, though one fell to a lucky strike of an enemy. The one remaining Princess Guard, once the rest of the enemy had been defeated, bent over, panting with exertion.

"What happened?" Lance asked him.

"I don't… know," the Guard said. "Suddenly a bunch of their guard appeared this evening demanding to get into the Princess's suite. When we moved to stop them, one of them… one of them killed Connor." He gestured vaguely at the bodies now piled up around them. "They…were better than we expected…" he trailed off, listening. Ryu suddenly noticed that there was noise coming from the room behind the Guard. He pushed past him and threw open the door.

Within the room were a few more Princess Guard fighting against Tantarans that were making their way further into the room from the open window. Leah was close to the door and spun with her partisan armed, fire in her brown eyes, and a… wren, Ryu thought, on her shoulder, poised for flight. When the woman and bird spotted who had entered, they both relaxed somewhat and turned around to watch the progress of the enemy into the room. It was a peculiar sensation to watch a bird relax.

James and Lance entered the room. "We've swept the doorway. Might be easier to just leave," James said to Leah. She turned back to them and seemed to consider for a moment.

"Fall back!" Leah called to the remaining Princess Guard, which numbered a lot fewer than Ryu would have liked. As the Guard retreated orderly back toward the door, Leah said shakily to the wren, "Go to Ryu," and the wren obeyed, alighting on Ryu's shoulder. Leah took a deep breath. "We'll split up into multiple groups. The Princess goes with you," she indicated the wren, which caused Ryu to look down at it. If anything, she looked smug about this. "I go with another group, and the third is most of the rest of the Guard." She turned around again and muttered bitterly, "as many as that might be."

"Meet three leagues east more or less north. If separated longer than two days, the Princess takes priority," Lance quickly said under his breath. Ryu had no idea what this instruction meant (wasn't he being a bit too vague?) but he figured that Lance knew what he was doing.

"Done," Leah said, then she gave the command to scatter. What was left of the Guard broke from the battle and all of them were charging headlong down the stairs. Leah was calling out some more instructions that Ryu couldn't make head nor tail of, but he was more focused on not tripping down the spiral staircase through the tower. The group split up once at the bottom, James leading the party once again. The wren hid within a pocket of Ryu's overcoat in case they were spotted.

James led them through a slightly different path than the one that had gotten them into the Palace, but still heading for the same entrance. The party had to take out a couple guards that were on patrol, but no one was following them. The remaining enemy from the tower had apparently picked other groups. However, standing before the door that they intended to use to get out, was a large man. The man's presence gave Ryu a bad feeling, and he instantly recognized it as the same one he got when he met with the man who had killed Bunyan.

And the man who had killed Sarah.

Ryu bit back a snarl and tried to calm himself. If he was careful, no one else had to die this day. Far too many already had for Nina's escape to be possible.

The man smirked. It was an ugly look. "It seems that I am indeed right about the intruders to the palace. You won't be leaving the Palace today, boys." The man drew his sword, a rapier by the look of it, and brandished it about a moment, just to prove he was adept with it. "Or, alternatively, you could hand me the bird that's in your pocket, boy."

Ryu's eyebrows rose. "I don't have a bird in my pocket." He silently tried to will the wren to remain still, but she needed no prompting.

The smirk fell off the man's face, revealing a mask of anger. Surprisingly, this made him easier to look at. "Do not lie to me, boy. You have the Princess in bird form in your pocket, and I will have her. You are chaff; you needn't die for her sake."

"If you aren't careful, you're the one who will die!" Lance called, launching one of his lances at the adversary, who parried it away easily.

"If that's the way you want it, then die, scum. Anyone who helps an Ascent is tainted and should die, anyway!" He charged with his rapier and Ryu drew his sword just in time to block the blow and dive past the man. Turning, the adversary engaged Ryu in melee, giving James the opportunity to trip the man. Unfortunately, this did not give James the opportunity to pass the man, as he took up enough of the corridor and the rapier was ready too soon.

Lance chanted a fire spell, but it wasn't as effective as he would have liked. The flames were put out nearly instantly by the man's quickly cast water spell. He countered with a set of Air-based spells at the two Agents. Ryu couldn't do anything about it, but the bird jumped out of Ryu's pocket and the glow of magic surrounded her as she floated there. Though air was whipping through the corridor, it refused to affect anyone aversely. The man spun around and found the bird, but Ryu stepped in front of her to parry his strikes.

Roaring in rage, the man attacked Ryu relentlessly and it quickly became apparent that he was the better swordsman. Ryu was cut in many places, but because his sword had more body, he had not yet been disarmed and defeated. A shield of air seemed to be preventing either of the Agents from preventing this assault from continuing, but suddenly Nina was at his side with rapier in hand. Her face was livid and her blue eyes fierce as she struck again and again at the man in front of her. Together, Ryu and Nina beat back his assault, and without the stings of being cut every other strike.

Having to put his full attention on the two teenagers beating him back, the man did not notice James preparing an earth spell that knocked the feet out from under the man once again. Nina used the opportunity to bind him with air, but he quickly broke out of the bonds. Nina was shocked at this, but Ryu quickly cast an attack spell of light power, it was called 'Aura', making the man grunt with pain and remain on the ground. James and Lance used the opportunity to vault over the man unmolested and the four formed up with Ryu and James in the front and Nina and Lance in the back. The man only had the time to get up.

James attacked high, Ryu attacked low, while Nina and Lance prepared a firewind attack jointly. Soundly thumped by the concerted attack, the man fell back once again to a seated position and James whipped his quarterstaff around to slam into the man's forehead. The man slumped unconscious. Nina seemed about to collapse, so Ryu and Lance half carried her each while James took care of the door and looking around to make sure they ran across the courtyard while the coast was clear.

The party slunk through the city silently and encountered no one on the way back to the inn in which they had intended to stay that night. James led the way back up to the window which they had left the inn from and the four assembled inside. They were quiet for a moment while they thought about all that had just happened.

James spoke first. "We have two options. First, we could wait until morning and then attempt to leave as the three travelers we were originally. Nina would hide in either my or Lance's pockets in case it goes sour. Second, we could attempt to leave now, but that means finding a way out of a city that closes itself up at night. Unlike the Palace, I have no experience with getting in and out of the city undetected."

"There's a third option," Nina said quietly after a couple moments of silence. She seemed hesitant to go on, and this feeling was only increased when her small stature in comparison to even Ryu was taken into account. When Lance indicated that she should go on, she took a deep breath. "I can fly over the wall now; the only thing stopping me from doing that from the tower was that they had blocked the window by coming down from the floor above. I couldn't escape without risking being captured by them.

"That would give you all more options on escape routes, as I won't be with you, and you could pretend you were never at the Palace tonight, so long as the man we met at the end isn't at the gate you'll be trying."

"I think people would notice a wren leaving in the middle of the night, Your Highness," Lance said kindly.

Nina made an ugly face at him. It was comical enough that Ryu chuckled quietly. "I can be an owl too, you know."

"So we would be able to let ourselves be searched if they bothered to do so. It seems like it's the least risky idea, though no idea at this juncture would be without risk," Lance sighed.

"We weren't expecting to be so soundly in enemy territory," James said.

Lance snorted. "They had lulled us into a false sense of security back at Ploya. We'll leave by different gates. There's no reason to advertise that we were the three travelers with the Princess's party. We won't use the south gate; that one makes it obvious you're heading towards Wyndia. We're out of here at first light; Princess, when should you leave?"

"Before first light, as a bird of the morning," Nina said.

"Not a wren, right?" Ryu asked.

"Of course not," Nina said. "They're cave dwellers. A city-dweller or plains-dweller would be best."

"You could always be a dove or pigeon," Ryu remarked. "They live everywhere."

Nina grinned. "I can be a dove. That's what I'll do."

The decisions all made, James and Lance stood up. Lance started making up a bedroll while James said "We have lots of time until sunrise. We should all catch a little sleep."

Nina tried to take the bedroll that Lance had been making, but he would have none of it; she ended up in the bed that Lance used to have. Ryu offered his own to Lance but was laughed off. "Really, I'll be fine. Get some sleep." So Ryu lay down in the same bed that he had been awakened from that night and closed his eyes. He was thinking about how they were going to get out of the city in the morning, kind of planning it out in his head.

Suddenly, he was being shaken awake. "It's almost sunrise," James said quietly. Ryu felt that he hadn't slept at all, other than the sluggish feeling that he got right after waking up.

Nina was already gone. So was Lance. "He's making sure she doesn't get caught as a bird in her escape attempt," James said when Ryu asked him about it. "We'll be leaving the city apart from each other, anyway. You're the one that'll leave by the western entrance. Do you know where the rendezvous point is?"

Ryu shook his head and shouldered on his pack.

"The command 'three leagues east more or less north' means three-and-a-half leagues east and two-and-a-half north. Since you're leaving from the west gate, you should probably do the north leagues first." James stopped. "You got all that?"

"Yeah, but…"

"No buts. I'll see you there." And then James was gone out the window, the curtain flapping in the early morning breeze. Ryu just stared at the open window for a moment before he pulled in the rope, bound it to his pack and shut the window. Then he left the inn via the main entrance.

The city had not yet really woken up yet, as the sky was just beginning to brighten. Ryu made his way at a leisurely pace to the west gate and waited among a growing crowd for it to open. Just as beams of sunlight struck the top of the wall, the portcullis was raised and the doors opened for the traffic of the day. Ryu found himself pushed along by the crowd until he was well outside the walls.


	19. II:4: A Little Help Along the Way

**Act II: Adolescence  
Chapter 4: A Little Help Along the Way  
Party: Ryu**

When he could no longer see the people on the walls at all, he separated himself from the groups of villagers and pressed north. He met a couple monsters along the way. One was a wolf that he defended himself carefully against before maneuvering away. He couldn't kill a wolf, it was too much like sparring with Luna, and he'd expect her to suddenly dart in as if for the kill and bat him with a paw instead. Other monsters gave him even more trouble.

He didn't transform, saving his energy for healing spells so that he could continue on. Even with his excellent sword skills, he had only gone two leagues north with the half-league plus whatever more than three-and-a-half he had to go east when he was tiring. It wouldn't be long until he collapsed from the exhaustion, which would let any monster kill him before he would be able to get up again.

Shortly before he had reached the two-and-a-half mark, he met two wolves and they began to circle him. He groaned aloud. "Really?" he asked them, though he didn't expect to get a response. He drew his sword and prepared himself. One of the wolves charged, and Ryu prepared a riposte, but the wolf ran right past him. He spun to find a man batting aside the wolf with a vicious axe. He was wearing a deep green overcoat and had tannish brown skin. That was all Ryu had time to notice before he had to spin around and deal with the threat behind him.

With the man's help, the threat was quickly dispatched. Ryu bent over and balanced himself on his sword as he caught his breath. The newcomer walked over to him. "What's a boy like you doing alone in a place like this?" he asked in a gravely voice. "Seems to me you oughta be more careful with yourself."

"Th-thanks," Ryu said.

"Are you running away from home? Don't you know how dangerous it is for our kind to be out and about these days? Particularly in these parts?"

Ryu looked up sharply and stared hard at the man. "Our kind?" He wasn't a Dragon Ascent, that was plain. Ryu could identify other dragons easily and had been able to since he was very small.

"You _are_ an Ascent, yes?" the man asked. "A adolescent Ascent, wandering around alone is not exactly something somebody sees these days."

"Who… Who's asking?!" Ryu asked heatedly. He didn't feel any malice from the man. Only a faint… kinship. Did that mean…?

"You don't know that I'm also an Ascent?" the man asked, surprised. "It's easy to tell, once you know the trick." Ryu suddenly placed the feeling that the man gave him. It was similar to the one that the King of Wyndia gave him, but yet different. The King's was more similar to Nina, like a gentle breeze. This was… like soft clay.

"You're… you're a Grassman."

The man grinned broadly. Now that Ryu knew what Clan he was of, the green tinges to his hair and skin were obvious, as well as his skin's bark-like texture. "Very good, young Dragon. Now, how about you tell me your story real quick, and I can help you on your way until you get reunited with your party. Unless something's very wrong, and you're not on your Second Journey."

Ryu grinned. He could trust another Ascent… at least, he could with his own secrets. "We ran into a bit of… trouble… in the city and had to separate. I'm to meet them to the east of here." Ryu straightened and looked that way. "About three-and-a-half leagues."

The man's eyebrows rose. "That's quite a ways. Lucky you I'm heading in that direction for the moment. I'll tag along and make sure you keep your head 'til you see your friends. How's that sound?"

Ryu grinned. "I'm grateful, Mr…"

"Oh! I didn't tell you my name, did I?" He bowed deeply. "Apiche Sugi, at your service, young Dragon. Let's not worry your friends overmuch and be on our way."

It turned out that Apiche had quite a few useful abilities for the trek across the plain. First of all, he Ascended into a tree and through that tree, the sun shone softly on Ryu when he stood beneath the limbs. He felt reenergized and raring to go. When not transformed, Apiche had basic earth spells and wielded his axe deftly. Though he looked more lithe than built, he definitely had the power to back up his strikes. His ability with healing herbs was excellent too; they seemed to be more effective when he administered them.

The two companions were silent on the way, though both could tell that the other was holding himself in check. Ryu had questions to ask Apiche, such as where the rest of his kind were, how they were doing, had they been attacked, and a few others. But he dared not ask the man. There was something about Apiche that spoke of incredible age. Not that this was terribly surprising; Grassmen, of all the Ascents, were the most long-lived. It was theorized this had to do with their tree-like nature.

Neither companion ever ended up asking the other anything. The campfire in the correct location was within sight, and the sun had dipped significantly. Once it was obvious Ryu would be able to hail his party if attacked, Apiche stopped. "This is where I leave you, young Dragon."

Ryu, now a few strides ahead, turned around. Though this made it easier to not mention that the Princess of Wyndia was with his party, he was disappointed that such a clear ally would not be continuing on with him. "Thank you for your help, Mr. Sugi."

Apiche let out a booming laugh. "Apiche, young Dragon. Ryu, was it?" He stuck out his rather large hand and Ryu shook it. "I hope we meet again, when you are old enough to be out on your own in such lands and can handle these monsters yourself."

Ryu grinned. "I do too." Apiche turned north and walked away from Ryu, and the teen watched him go for a moment before continuing on to the fire.

James was on watch, and hailed Ryu as he came into sight. "Alright there, Ryu?" Ryu smiled and nodded and he walked into the light of the campfire to find Nina comforting a heavily sobbing Leah.

"It's not your fault, Leah," Nina was saying. "It's the Tantarans' fault. Heck, it's mine and Father's for insisting that we should do this thrice-damned trip." She seemed upset as well. "But don't you _dare_ blame yourself. Without you, we wouldn't have gotten anyone out." Her voice softened, but was still clear over the older woman's sobs. "Without you… I would have been at their mercy right now."

This did not have the desired effect. Leah's sobs redoubled, and Nina gave up her verbal reassurance as a bad job. She still continued to rub the woman's back soothingly. Looking around the camp as if searching for an idea lying on the ground around her, she spotted Ryu and gave him a sad smile, then mouthed "Sorry."

This movement seemed to attract the notice of Leah, and she turned her head as she gave another watery sniff. She spotted Ryu (somehow through all of those tears) and stood just long enough to throw herself at him. Ryu stumbled backward slightly. "I'm so glad you're alive; are you okay; is anything hurt?!" Ryu had to get her to repeat what she said twice before he knew what she had meant.

"I'm okay, Leah. Alive and unharmed," he said. He decided in that moment to not mention Apiche unless he had to. Well, perhaps to Nina… It felt like Apiche was part of Ryu's greater issue. Something to discuss with Luna when he got back to Wyndia. "You should stop crying, Leah. You're a wreck."

To Nina's obvious surprise, this made Leah chuckle a little bit.

Lance came into the light of the fire from the opposite side than James had been on. "Yes, now that _our_ charge is here as well, we can discuss our next move." He put his hands on his hips. "You need to pull yourself together, dear."

Leah sighed, then hiccupped. "A-alright." She sat down heavily where she had been seated before. "You're right, of course."

Lance sat himself on Leah's right, Nina sat across from Leah, and Ryu sat across from Lance. At Ryu's look, Lance said "James will watch while we discuss. It's not really safe to give the monsters a free crack at us, is it?"

There was a long pause as the four were in thought. "Obviously," Leah began, sounding much calmer and stronger now, "we need to get Nina back to Wyndia as soon as possible." Nina's face fell a little, but Ryu may have been the only one who noticed.

"Agreed," Lance said. Nina's face became more obvious. "Her protection is of the utmost priority."

"Then we need to get her over the border as soon as possible," Leah said definitively. "We can return to the border fort…"

"Too obvious," Lance cut in. "There's no way the fort isn't notified by now of Nina's escape, or at least it will be by the time we can get there. There's no feasible way to cross directly into Wyndia. Romero, being an ally of Wyndia, is probably out too."

"That leaves Arad," Nina said in a somewhat hopeful voice.

Lance nodded. "That's the most promising idea I've got. Cross _south_, through mountainous Auria and into the desert of Arad."

Leah frowned, though this made her look more confused than sad. "How do we get to Wyndia from there, though?"

Lance grinned. "You forget I've been through there before. There's a small port town run by the Manillo Clan there. It's not really well-known, given the current climate for Ascents." Ryu noted this. So Lance, at least, had worked on a problem for Ascents before. Had he done anything similar to Bunyan? Did he know anything that would help Ryu get to the bottom of the mystery? "Being Wyndians, and particularly bearing an Ascent, they'll give us passage, for a price, to Romero…"

"Where we can reach the Windy Mountains." Leah nodded. "So we head there immediately."

Lance laughed and shook his head. "Wait. Let the initial security that may appear at the checkpoint die down a little bit."

Leah frowned again. "Then what do we do in the meantime? I guess we could lay low in a town, but I wouldn't know which…"

Ryu was suddenly struck with an idea. "The Fire Temple."

Nina brightened visibly, Lance grinned, and Leah looked blank. "That something to do with your mission, Ryu?" Leah asked him. Ryu remembered that only those Agents that worked with Ascents other than the Royal Family knew anything about the traditions of his Clan.

"Yeah," he replied. "The Fire Temple's in a volcano only a few leagues north of the Aurian Mountains. We can head there and I can attempt the Shrine there while we're waiting for the opportunity to cross out of Tantar." He turned to Lance. "Do you think that's waiting enough time?"

Lance shrugged. "If it takes shorter than I expect, then we can wait out a few more days in a nearby town. In fact, we should do that anyway. Any group of travelers resting for multiple days in a town will not be as scrutinized by the authorities as a group that moves very quickly on its way. We should move slowly and lay low."

Leah sighed. "There's no way to send a message to the King."

Lance shook his head. "Barring meeting another agent, no. As it is, we're barely enough protection for the Princess if she's in hiding. We can't afford to lose any of us for any reason, so we can't send a message along to the King. He's just going to have to trust that the Agents who were with Nina did their jobs." He turned to Ryu. "Do you think you can get to all the Temples with that route?"

Ryu thought for a moment. "Fire's in Tantar… but that's the only one we're told beforehand, and I only know because I was there when my sister Sarah was told. All the other information is imparted at the Temples themselves. So… I _hope_ that's a route that will work for me."

Leah snorted. "Unless there's a Temple you need to visit in the West, you'll get an opportunity. We'll be heading through every part of this continent with this route." She glared at Lance. "Just because I understand your point doesn't mean I like it."

Lance gave her a look. "You assume I do."

Lance returned to his lookout position, helping James guard the camp. Leah retreated inside the somewhat large tent that was in the southwest corner of the firelight. Nina and Ryu remained at the fire. "I hope they tell me in a good order for this route then," Ryu said. "I don't want this trip to last too terribly long." There was no response from Nina immediately. He turned and looked at her askance.

She was huddled up with her knees at her chest, and her wings were folded in on themselves very tightly. "I'm sorry," she said.

Ryu blinked. "For what, P-… Nina?"

Nina sighed into her knees. "For making your trip harder."

Ryu grinned. "You kinda made it easier, you know." Nina looked up at him questioningly. "After all, I have two more companions. The Temples are going to be easier to get through. The Shrines, you can't help with. Sure, you may have made the overland travel a little more complicated, but…" He looked around to make sure Lance and James were out of hearing range. "There's something going on. Something that makes it dangerous for _all_ Ascents. And from what I've found, it seems to be based in Tantar. There was a good reason we were traveling with you as far as we were, I think."

Nina nodded slowly, though she still seemed a little down. "That makes sense. What with the idiot who captured me and what he told me…" She shuddered. "It was more important that I was an Ascent than a Princess. I just happen to be the most powerful Wyndian Clanner born in a while…" She looked directly at him, something unidentifiable burning in her features. "That's why they picked me. Not because I'm a princess. Because I'm a powerful Ascent."

Ryu nodded, thinking. "That could mean that whoever was after my town is connected with whoever wants you; they may even be the same." Ryu told her about his encounter with Apiche. "What he said implied that the danger is greater here, so it might be even that the Tantarans are in on it."

"Or they're behind it."

Ryu nodded. Then he scowled. "We still don't know enough about this."

Nina made a non-committal sound. "A lot to think about though."

The two teenagers fell asleep sitting up at the fire, but not before Ryu realized he should have talked to Apiche about his own troubles in Ness.

* * *

Author's Note: Now, I don't like begging for reviews, but I would really like to know what you think. Good, bad, something specific, in general... anything you have to say I would love to hear. That's what that little button is for. If you like it, tell me why. If you don't, tell me why.

Thank you, **Airess Byrd**, by the way. Your reviews are great! Also, a shout out to **Su**, who is beta-ing this whole process, and keeping me writing. You can thank her for the (semi-)constant updates.


	20. II:5: Riverside Retreat

**Act II: Adolescence  
****Chapter 5: Riverside Retreat  
Party: Ryu, Nina, Lance, James, Leah**

The morning broke beautifully, with the sun peeking over the eastern horizon, flat as could be. The grass was even colored by the reaching red rays. Ryu and Nina were stiff, and thus didn't speak much during the packing up. Leah and Lance were having a spirited argument that Ryu had heard from them many times.

"You wield _javelins, _not lances, you dolt!" Leah called from her side of the tent. "Lances are for jousting! Javelins for throwing!"

"I'll call it what I want to!" Lance called from his side, "I don't tell you what to call your weapon!"

"I call it by its true name!"

Thankfully, once the tent had been properly stowed, the volume of the argument reduced and they were merely bickering amiably in the back of the party while James picked their route and the teenagers kept up with him to be away from the other two. Ryu wasn't really sure how the two of them could keep up an argument like that and still enjoy each other's company, but they had been friends for a long time, so James told him. "They've always been like this too," James added. "I stopped trying to get in the middle a long time ago."

The party's trek through eastern Tantar had the same kind of monster population that western Tantar did, but the monsters liked to appear in larger groups. Still, with five capable warriors to fight them off, no group gave them any true trouble. Leah's ability with her partisan was unparalleled. She could fell nearly anything in a single thrust, and could take as much punishment as she could dish out. As if to balance, she eschewed magic. "Not my style," was her answer when Ryu asked her why.

Nina, however, while skilled well enough with her duelist's weapon, had most of her strength in her magic. She had Air spells of all kinds, from offensive blows that could knock opponents over to defensive patterns that protected from projectiles. She could also Ascend into three bird forms: wren, for hiding, making her impervious to weapon attacks but still able to use magic (and, unfortunately, be hit by magic); owl, a more offensive form that allowed her to physically attack more strongly than her rapier allowed; and dove, which increased her healing spells' potency.

Not that either teen needed to Ascend in the encounters on the Tantaran plain. The party found smooth sailing all the way through to Riverine, the southernmost town in the country. A three day journey from northeast of Tuntar was required to reach Riverine, but the party made it without any major problems.

In fact, the scenery of the Tantaran plain was something that caught Ryu's attention and held it fast. The gentle slopes of the nearly flat plain, the lazy waving of the grasses in the breezes that flew across the countryside. The occasional majestic tree reminded him somewhat of Apiche, and Ryu wondered about him. What was he up to? Why had he helped him? Most importantly, how had he known to help him? Only the sight of the small unassuming town on the horizon distracted him sufficiently from these thoughts.

Riverine was a picturesque town, particularly in the red rays of sunset. Quaint, functional huts were the building of choice, and all were on stilts to keep the river's flooding from affecting the homes. Docks were commonplace, and boats heading back from a day's fishing were returning as the party walked just within the first set of huts. The little town was little more than a hundred paces, measured from one end of the main path to the other.

They found an inn that fit right in with the rest of the town that was within the outside ring of huts. After setting up their room for the evening, Lance went out to procure supplies while the rest of the party rested in the inn. He returned fairly quickly with the replacement supplies, and joined right in with his tired cohorts. There was no conversation that night; just sleep.

The following morning's sun awoke Ryu first, having streamed through the window directly at his eyes; something that he hadn't been able to predict the night before. Knowing that returning to sleep in that bed would be impossible, and all the other beds were taken in both the boys' room and the girls' room, he busied himself getting ready for the day's trip.

Ryu didn't know that very little time past between his waking and Nina's waking, because of the split of the sexes into two rooms on Leah's insistence. Nina and Ryu found themselves the only ones up for breakfast quite that early, and enjoyed a little more time to themselves.

"Do you know where we're going, exactly?" Nina asked him while she daintily stabbed her morning's repast with her fork.

"Sort of," was Ryu's initial reply. He waited until he had swallowed his food to continue. "There's a volcano in the southeast corner of the country that's not too far from here, by James's reckoning. That's where the Fire Temple and the Fire Shrine are. I'm pretty sure inside the Shrine I'll be told where at least one other shrine is. Hopefully more than that, so that I can best plan how to pull this off with the route forced on me."

"I said I'm sorry for -" Nina began, her face reddening.

"It's alright," Ryu interrupted, his hands in a submissive pose. "As I said before, I don't blame you, nor is it a huge deal. It just means that to do it the best way possible requires careful planning, and I may not be able to plan as well without all of the locations I need right off the bat."

"What kind of things are we going to find in the Fire Temple?" Nina asked before taking another bite. The rouge was fading from her cheeks, though now it seemed less anchored in anger.

"I guess we'll find out, now won't we?" Ryu said, grinning. "I'm not supposed to know, so that I have to get through it with my own mind and skills. I'm not supposed to plan this beforehand or with anyone's help. The people who are allowed to escort me through the Temple are there only to handle the monsters that are attracted to the element of Fire… we can't keep them out of the Temple very well, apparently. Thankfully, the Shrine is small enough and always contains a Dragon Clanner, so I go in there alone."

"Do you know what you'll be asked to do while you are in the Fire Shrine?" Nina asked.

"Nope."

"There's a lot of secrecy surrounding all of this," Nina remarked darkly. "I don't really see the reason for it all. I mean, you're a Dragon Ascent. Why keep all of this from you?"

Ryu chewed his latest bite thoughtfully. "You know," swallow, "I've been thinking about that a bit; the first task I had to do with Sarah, my sister, back before all this crap happened, had similar secrecy surrounding it. I'm not sure here, just guessing, but I think it's so that my body simply _reacts_, rather than my trying to force it." He shook his head as if to clear it. "Whatever. Point is, it works. Why fix what ain't broke?"

Nina wrinkled her nose. "What terrible grammar."

Ryu made a face. "We're not in class. Leave me be." The rest of breakfast passed in silence.

* * *

Later that morning, it was becoming apparent that none of the Wyndian Agents were intending on leaving Riverine that day. Once the three of them were up and fed, Ryu and Nina confronted Leah about all the lollygagging. "Oh, did you not know? We're in lands that take the worship of the Gods quite seriously at the moment," she said by way of answer. "James, who has worked missions in Tantar before, says that this particular town curries the favor of Agni. You know what that God has dominion over, right?"

Nina nodded. "Fire." Ryu also nodded, being reminded of some of the lessons back in Wyndia.

Leah grinned. "Exactly. This makes sense considering you can see the volcano from here. If there's any place that's associated with Agni, it would be a volcano."

Ryu frowned. "But what does that matter to us? Particularly Nina and I, who really should only be expected to pay tribute to the Gods closely related to our Clans."

"You only pray to Ladon, Ryu?" Nina asked, her brow creased in thought.

"Yeah, I went to the Ladonite Temple weekly while in Wyndia."

"I don't only pray to Shu," Nina said, putting her hands on her hips. "Just because my Clan is heavily dependant on Shu for what we are today, that doesn't mean I shouldn't pray to the other Gods as well!"

Leah shook her head. "I wouldn't approve of stopping for worship here despite it being a worship day simply because I would rather keep moving regardless of what is going on. However, everyone in this area is expected to worship. If we left the town, as we would want to and conduct our worshiping on the road, then we would be noticed. So we're going to do our worship here.

"There's definitely a temple to Agni here, but I don't know about the other Gods. I doubt there's a temple to Ladon, honestly. But today we'll be staying here. What you do with the day is up to you, as long as you remain respectful of those who are practicing worship."

So Ryu and Nina had a free day. Ryu searched the town for other temples, but only the temple of Agni was in the town, as Leah had guessed. Nina hadn't even tried to find a temple to Shu, instead doing her worship in the room. She was muttering under her breath, "I wish I could fly to worship as usual," when Ryu walked by.

Ryu took care of his prayers privately, not really complaining about the inability to find a Ladon temple for the day. He was, after all, on pilgrimage. He imagined the God that required his Clan to go on such a pilgrimage would forgive him for being unable to attend a service while he was on one.

Having taken care of his religious obligation, Ryu ventured out into the village. As the sun was now falling instead of rising in the sky, people were slowly filling the streets again. Along the riverbank there were quite a few fishermen who had their catches displayed on wooden tables. At the end of the line was a man who had no fish. Instead, his table had a bunch of poles without lines laying on it. Ryu found himself drawn to this table.

"Ho there, young man. Are you interested in trying your hand at fishin' yourself? 'Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for life.' Of course," the smiling man nodded in the direction of the other men and tables that lined the riverbank, "I wouldn't recommend selling your wares here. The competition's fierce."

He drew himself up, seemingly emboldened by capturing Ryu's attention. "Too competitive for me. I decided that I would be getting my money from selling the fishing equipment, rather than the fish themselves. I have poles, nets, lines, lures… if it has to do with fishing and isn't a fish, it can be found here!" He leaned on the table, passing an open hand along his wares. "What strikes your fancy, son?"

Ryu thought for a moment. He had never had the opportunity to try fishing. His father had talked about it once, when referring to one of his pilgrimages. It was that memory more than anything else that kept Ryu rooted to the spot. "I'd like to try fishing, but I've never done it before."

"Fishin' for yourself?" the man asked.

"Yes," was Ryu's reply.

"Well then," the man said, bustling about his wares, "you'll need a rod, a line and a lure, if you're to be doin' this from the shore. A net would work if you have a boat, but you don't look like that's the kind of fishin' you're lookin' to be doin', if you catch my meanin'." He had selected a rod, a coil of thin rope, and something that Ryu couldn't describe very well. "This should get you started. Fifty for the rod, ten for the line, and five for the popper. I'll throw in a fishing lesson or two, normally thirty, for fifteen to make it a round eighty zenny for the purchase."

"Take everything but the lesson, Ryu," came a voice from behind the teenager. A second later, James was standing next to him. "I'll teach you how to fish."

The man pouted, but seemed to take this news in stride. "That'll be sixty-five, then. You got the cash?" Ryu paid the man and followed James as he led Ryu out of the town proper and to a small bluff overlooking the river. It was about six or seven feet off the water.

James and Ryu sat down on the grassy spot, hanging their legs over the side while James showed Ryu the basics of fishing. He showed him how to attach the line to the rod, and the lure to the line. Then the basics of casting, hooking, reeling in… Ryu was an apt student, asking few questions, but learning the basics shown him very quickly. The sun hadn't fallen through the sky all that far before James got up, leaving Ryu to experiment on his own.

As the sun's rays were becoming more and more horizontal, Ryu finally noticed that it was beginning to set behind the horizon to the west, and he stood up and stretched. He had caught quite a few fish, a testament to the ability he had amassed in such a short time. Thankfully, James had left him a basket to carry his catch in, and Ryu made sure everything was in order before he headed back to the inn.

He found the Agents sitting at a table with Nina, while Lance was complaining loudly that he was hungry and that they should order. "I swear, we don't all have to eat together. If he's late for supper then he deserves the wait for his food. _I'm_ on time. _I_ don't deserve to wait."

"Patience is a virtue," James said, who was in a position to see that Ryu had entered and was now standing behind Lance with his pole and basket of fish.

Gradually, the others noticed him, but Lance went right on. "I don't see why you all are so keen on waiting." Nina very nearly gave the game away as she began to chuckle, but turned away trying to pretend that it was something that was over James's shoulder that had amused her so. "What could be keeping him, anyway?"

Ryu decided that this was a good window for him to use. "Catching your dinner," he replied nonchalantly as he dropped the basket in front of Lance. The older man spun around in his chair as the rest of the party burst into the laughter that they had been holding in for the past minute or so. "I did lose track of the time, but hopefully arriving with dinner free helps me there?"

James was grinning like a maniac. "Now I'll teach you how to clean them and prepare them for a meal." He taught everyone at the table, and behind Leah was a fireplace, which they used for cooking the meat that they harvested.

"Mmm. Remind me to never doubt Ryu again," Lance said, raising his cup of wine that they had purchased to go with the fish. "To our resident fisherman!" Ryu blushed at the toast, but smiled back at Nina when she turned to him to tap cups.


	21. II:6:Temple of Flame

**Act II: Adolescence****  
Chapter 6: Temple of Flame  
Party: Ryu, Nina, Lance, James, Leah**

The following day saw the party out of Riverine before the sun was fully visible over the spikes of the mountains they were heading toward. Not long into the trip, the bend of the river allowed them to cross and then head in a more southeast direction - more directly at the smoking peak that they were bound for. The monsters that populated the area were still the same ones that prowled around Tuntar, so the party continued to have no trouble with the encounters.

The volcano was a day-and-a-half from Riverine, looming above them shortly before the sun beat from directly overhead. Having reached the foot of the mountain, the party stopped, unsure of how to continue. "We've reached the end of my knowledge," Ryu said, "from here on, I'm just guessing." He figured he should preface with that just in case they circled the mountain for the rest of the afternoon.

He needn't have worried, however, as there was a cave opening just around the bend on the north side of the mountain. From the opening came hot air pushing itself out into the cooler air of the transition from summer into autumn. Looking inside the cave, Ryu could see veins of orange-red pulsing among the brown rock. It was certainly hot enough to warrant the Fire Temple being built there. He waved the rest of the party inside. There was enough time, he hoped, to complete the tasks that were set before him.

Inside the mountain, it was obvious that the group dynamic had changed slightly. Ryu now led the way and made the decisions. Leah had the rear, James and Lance were just in front of her, while Nina led the small group that followed Ryu through the cavern. The monsters changed drastically, though that was expected due to the incredible difference in climate. The monsters were all fire-based, from bats that were forever on fire to red drakes that even wielded sabers. They gave the party more trouble than those that had accosted them outside on the plain, but not enough to require either Nina or Ryu's transformation.

Ryu led the party over shifting rocks, across dangerous passages that had molten rock streaming around on the floor. One particular cavern was rather large, including a pool of magma and shifting rock islands. Nina, thankfully, could fly at this point, and was able to see the pattern that the rock islands made and how to effectively cross them. The rest of the party followed her instructions faithfully, and they found themselves safely to the other side of the large cavern.

Unfortunately, there was something waiting for them there. It did not make itself known immediately, but once all of the party was ready to move on into the next chamber, the door was suddenly blocked by a lizard. A red lizard. On fire.

"A salamander," Nina breathed, before the lizard showed more agility than Ryu thought it had in jumping toward the party at an alarming speed. All of them rolled out of the way, bringing their weaponry to bear for the battle. The creature had over-jumped and landed in the magma below, but none of them relaxed. All of them knew that the magma would only heal, not hurt, a salamander.

Sure enough, the salamander jumped out suddenly right at Nina, who was forced to dodge again. She didn't do a very good job of it, ending up with a torn sleeve that immediately caught fire. James cast Sphere, a water spell, on the creature which made it hiss in obvious pain, though the fire flared hotter to dry its owner off. It had the desired effect though, Nina was given the opportunity to Heal herself and douse the flames trying to eat away at her shirt. Ryu cast Aura, and though it had an effect, it wasn't all that powerful against the creature.

Leah, not being inclined to magic, moved in and tried to skewer the creature. Though she moved in with power, grace and accuracy, she wasn't able to get a very good bead on the creature in time, and ended up only wounding it further. The fire flared again, giving the lizard another burst of strength, and it launched itself at Leah and James, managing only to catch James's stave on fire for a moment before a Douse spell put it out. Leah smacked the creature hard with the business end of her partisan, but unfortunately it landed back in the magma. When it launched itself out again, it was ready and raring to go.

A bright white light blasted through the large cavern, whiting out the vision of all of those in it. As the light faded, where Ryu had stood before the light had appeared in the first place was a white dome that managed to glow with a golden hue. As it faded, a dragon was where Ryu had been standing. It flexed its claws and shook its head, preparing itself for an attack. The salamander obliged, charging the apparent newcomer, but was caught in mid-air by the deceptively dexterous claws. Ryu slashed across the salamander's body with his free claw, but threw the creature against the wall when it bit into the claw that had held it fast.

With Ryu's cry of pain, the world went white once again, but this time upon fading, there was a wren, which called up powerful wind gusts that plastered the salamander against the wall. As much as it tried to escape the bonds of air created by the wren's magical wings, it could not. Ryu, using the chance, breathed in, calling to himself pure power. James took the opportunity to cast another Sphere, while Lance threw another javelin/lance at the creature, the thrown weapon sticking out of the creature as it howled in pain and defiance. Then the breath of the dragon was upon him, and only a few moments later the salamander was no more.

The change back into their original forms wasn't nearly as showy as changing into the forms in the first place, but it still happened to be impressive. Ryu was favoring his left hand, it having been bitten when it was in claw form. A quick Heal fixed matters there. Nina stretched her wings a bit, letting them out of the folded position that she normally kept them in. Since they were on the run and couldn't afford to be recognized, she had been wearing a large hooded cloak that gave her enough space to fit her wings inside if she kept them folded.

Now, inside the volcano, her forcing her wings to remain hidden like that was unnecessary, and she was taking the opportunity to stretch them out to their full span, which was easily four, maybe even five paces across. After Ryu and Nina had checked each other over, knowing each others' transformations better than the humans in the party, they nodded to the rest of them that they were ready to continue on. After rounding the corner of the passage that led off from the large cavern, they found themselves facing a steel door.

The door was quite out of place. In the middle of red and brown rock, a gray metal door stood out like a sore thumb. Centered on the door was painted a symbol of a single perfect candle flame. The red flame was of a completely different color than the red of the surrounding rock, being bright and obviously powerful. The sight of the door brought the entire party to a stop.

"I think, I think this is the Fire Temple," Ryu said, stepping forward toward the door. When he did, the door opened to reveal a man in white robes who then closed the door behind him. He was an older man, though his features were still sharp. His hair had succumbed to gray, however, and this made him look significantly older than his face seemed to indicate.

"Not exactly, young Dragon, you have already completed the Fire Temple's tasks for you. You stand at the threshold of the Fire Shrine. None of your companions, as none of them are Dragons, may proceed further." At this point, he bowed with his hands together at Nina. "I'm sorry, Miss Wyndian, but only Phoenix and Dragon may enter here." Nina seemed taken aback at this. James and Lance had been expecting such a greeting, and as such were unsurprised by their dismissal. In fact, they were already setting up bedrolls and making sure there was a place for the princess that would be soft for the night.

Leah reacted differently. "Why not?" Her tone was not disrespectful, but she certainly seemed disappointed at this news.

The priest looked at her. Kindly, he said, "This is the Shrine of Agni. Only His race, the Phoenix Clan, and the Stewards of the Gods, the Dragon Clan, may enter."

Leah subsided, though she could be heard muttering. Ryu continued toward the door, but a soft voice behind him made him pause. "Good luck, Ryu." He turned around.

Nina was looking at him, obviously worried. Ryu smiled at her. "I'll be fine. Really." He then turned and walked through the door that the priest held open for him. Then it was closed behind him, cutting him off from his companions.

The shrine was white. The walls shined as light streamed in from overhead, a completely different light than the red glow of the magma from the Temple. The room was square, with a dais in the center that was about as high as Ryu's knees. On it stood three figures. The closest, and centered, was a woman about the age of the priest that had let Ryu in and clothed the same as well. Her hair was brown and came down to where Ryu guessed her waist was, though it was impossible to tell through her robes. She smiled kindly down at him.

Both of the figures behind the female priest were not quite corporeal. The one to the woman's right was a man in red robes. Flames flickered up and down the fabric of his garment, though this seemed to not faze him. He was nearly see-through, so it was obvious that he wasn't quite there at all. His expression was hard, but not angry. His arms were folded in front of him and his stance was obviously aggressive… but his eyes were merely watchful.

The other figure was even less corporeal than the hard-faced fire man. It seemed unfortunate that he had the kinder face and the more neutral stance. His robes were without color, as well as his skin… In fact, he was so translucent that no color really touched him at all, just his outlines were clearly visible.

The woman spoke first. "Who enters Agni's Shrine?"

Ryu walked up to the dais when he was addressed. The male priest remained at the steel door, which looked just as out of place on this side as it did on the other. "I do. Ryu Gensu of the Dragon Clan."

The incorporeal one smiled at this pronouncement, while the kind-of corporeal one did not have an outward reaction. "Welcome, young Dragon, to your Test of Fire," the woman said, her voice echoing off the pristine walls of the chamber. "…but unfortunately there are no set speeches or rites to explain to you the situation that we find ourselves in." The man in red remained impassive, but the colorless one was frowning.

"Normally, I would be introducing you to a Phoenix that would be your… shall we say, partner… for the Test that you will be facing. Unfortunately, the Phoenix that should be here is not, for whatever reason, and so we find ourselves… lacking an element of your test." She stepped down from the dais to be on a level with Ryu, but she remained a hint taller than he was. "Not that we aren't excited to see you. You're the first adolescent pilgrim we've received at this shrine for nearly three years."

The colorless one spoke quietly, but with a power that carried his voice to the corners of the room regardless of the volume with which it was delivered. "So what I have been hearing in prayers is true, then? The town of Ness is no more?"

Ryu nodded, finding that his emotions were threatening to get the better of him. He clamped down on his control. "Yes. As far as I know, no one who was in the town during the attack survived. I only remained because I was out on my childhood pilgrimage… if you can call it that… to the Cliffs."

The two priests looked stricken, but the two on the dais were unsurprised. The male was the first to recover. "My Lord, is that why our replacements have not arrived, as well as why young Ryu is the first pilgrim to reach here in quite a long time?"

The colorless one nodded gravely. "I had little confirmation, other than a few prayers from survivors." Ryu looked at him in askance, and he smiled. "Yes, Ryu, survivors. You were not the only Dragon who was in the protected area that survived that day. I'm afraid we may have lost a couple since that day, but there are plenty that have made their way to various places around the world… notifying the Dragons that were outside of Ness at the time. The Clan is hardly dead, my boy."

Ryu's heart swelled in his chest and began beating faster than he had known possible. Others had survived? That was great news! But why hadn't he heard anything from them? Had none of them thought to go to Wyndia like he did? No other Dragon Ascents had arrived in Wyndia when he did, and he was certainly not the only underage Dragon in Ness when it was attacked. Surely… but maybe he was the only child who had survived the day.

The colorless one's face folded into a look of concern. "Do not concern yourself with such thoughts." Ryu's shock at the figure's ability to see into his mind showed on his face to the point that it was obvious even to the priests that he hadn't really expected it. "Yes, I see your thoughts, young Dragon, since you are in a place where the world is thin. I can also hear any prayer you make no matter where you are, as long as your thoughts are gathered toward me. You have been an invaluable well of information about the attack and the news in Wyndia these past three years."

"Lord Ladon," Ryu breathed. He hadn't expected his God to be present for his testing! Ryu bowed deeply to the God that had been responsible for the creation of his Clan.

Ladon bowed back to him. "I am proud of you for making it this far. Before we administer the test to you, though a slightly altered test, I need to tell you where your next destination is. I know of your limitations in route due to the presence of the Princess of Wyndia in your companions; do not worry that I will lead you in a route that would be inconvenient for her.

"The next Shrine is Donarah's, the Shrine of Lightning. Her shrine lies in the Bleak Forest. Where exactly it lies is something that you must find out for yourself." Ladon then smiled. "You should have no trouble, considering what you have accomplished so far. I will see you again when you arrive at that Shrine, and there I will tell you what you need to know about the Shrine you shall visit after that."

Ryu nodded, internalizing the information. Another test… not that he was terribly surprised. "Now, however," the man in red spoke for the first time, "you must complete the Test of Fire. You will face one of my incarnations… though I will not choose the incarnation I normally choose, as you do not have a companion for this Test."

Ryu, given all that had happened so far, was reasonably sure as to who he would be fighting, and he swallowed the lump in his throat before responding. "I am ready, Lord Agni."

Agni smiled, though it was a calculating and dark smile. "We shall see about that, won't we?" A white light bathed the chamber, washing out all vision for a moment. When the light cleared and it was possible to see again, the dais no longer had two figures on it. Instead, there was just a red dragon atop it. It roared a challenge directly at Ryu, and the female priest stepped back so that it was just Ryu facing the deity.

Ryu stepped up onto the dais drawing his sword and preparing himself for the battle against Wyvern. Once he was set and on the dais, the battle began. Diving, the red beast flung out sharp claws in an attempt to catch Ryu off-guard. The attempt was partially successful, as Ryu felt a sharp pain in his arm as he tried to leap clear of the attack. The pain was only increasing, so Ryu gave up all pretense of completing the test without the use of his dragon form and transformed in mid-air. He landed in dragon form, eyes fierce and claws flexing.

Wyvern roared a challenge from the other side of the dais, which the Dragon returned with full vigor. The two beasts charged across the intervening distance and met with a loud crunch, attempting to get the upper hand – claw – on the other. Ryu's bites were unable to find purchase in the hard scales of his adversary, while Wyvern was too slow to capture the Dragon with his powerful jaws or claws. Ryu managed to break the stalemate first, using his tail to slap one of Wyvern's hind legs from beneath him. Ryu pulled in a breath and let his power release from his mouth.

Wyvern was struck by the breath attack, but though it was obvious that the breath had greatly affected his stamina, there was no look of defeat or surrender in the red eyes. Having escaped from the breath attack, Wyvern flapped his wings to lift himself off into the air, breathing in and channeling his own power into his breath. Ryu had only a moment to heal and prepare a defense before scathing flame and powerful heat was raining on him from above. He gritted his teeth, able to take the attack, but it was extremely painful, and that made it hard to force himself through it.

All at once, the breath attack was over and Ryu seized the chance to recover before Wyvern returned to the ground to renew the conflict once again. This time, Ryu was fending off claws that were powered up with the same power of Fire that had been released in the breath attack, and the claws were all the more potent for this addition. It became a huge advantage that Ryu was dodging a grand majority of the attacks leveled against him. Unfortunately, even though Ryu was striking more often than Wyvern was, he was hitting his adversary with far less force than the few hits that he did sustain contained.

It finally came down to a question of endurance, in which Ryu apparently had the slight edge, for before he collapsed from exhaustion, reverting back into his humanoid form, the Wyvern collapsed and began to fade away. When the beast's form was gone, Agni's form was standing where it had fallen, with Ladon's just behind him. Agni was… smiling, if still stern. "Congratulations, young Ryu," he said. "For your troubles, you will be able to channel my power, and with that power, use the form just used against you. Well done." Ryu felt a vague impression that power was flowing into him, but his body couldn't take any more stress, and he fainted there on the dais, having successfully completed the task set for him in the Fire Shrine.


	22. II:Interlude: Opportunity

**Act II: Adolescence  
Interlude: Opportunity**

Nothing really changed, from day to day.

Sure, from one day to the next, the rat that lived down in the bowels of who-knows-where may change its current favorite foraging location, but there was no way to discernibly mark the passage of time in this Ladon-forsaken place. Really, she was just glad that she could remember her patron God's name. Though she hadn't lost anything else since the day Emily had helped her feel… while not okay, perhaps, but _better_… she hadn't really gained anything back, either. Her name was still just beyond her reach, as was any part of her past that didn't include the status quo.

She had only been in the safe room for a couple minutes at most, but it was still extremely strange that Emily had not been returned at the same time. She was almost never alone for any reason in this place, and the sudden appearance of this aspect to her life was completely unwelcome. She found herself worrying about her partner, regardless of her propensity to suddenly burst into flames. Emily was all she had, really. That, and a couple disjointed thoughts bouncing around her skull.

She had moved to her corner, though she was still alert and her senses were still heightened. Her heart was beating hard and fast. Her nerves were all on fire, alert due to the abnormality of her solitude. She heard strange sounds from outside the room, perhaps from the hallway off of which this room and several others like it were. The sounds were like a scuffle, a hint of trouble. More than a hint, she realized, as she heard the tell-tale sound of a body hitting the stone floor of the hallway. As if it weren't impossible, her senses heightened further, and she found that she was frightened.

The sounds had stopped for a moment, but when they returned, they were at the doorknob of the door that led into the room in which she sat. She couldn't back up any further, but she could stand and be more ready. She shakily got to her feet, barely managing to stay upright with her violently shaking legs. After only a moment, the door opened smoothly to reveal Emily, looking fierce, but otherwise like the shaking girl's memories of her only friend. She looked to be just younger than thirty today. "Come on," she said, beckoning with the hand that was not bracing against the doorframe, "It's time for us to take our leave."

Unabashed hope blossomed within her chest, and her legs slowly returned to normal. Able to support herself, she stumbled away from the wall toward her friend, who caught her hand. "First though," Emily said, steadying her partner on her increasingly steady legs, "no luck with your name?"

Head shaking, the silent one sighed.

"No matter," Emily said, taking a quick look around outside of the room. She stepped into the room, but made sure that the door couldn't close because of where she stood. "But I need something to call you. It's… maddening to know that the one person I trust in this whole…" she waved her hand, indicating the installation at large. "That I don't actually know her – your – name. I don't know what to call you."

The other girl looked down. She knew, somehow, what Emily was talking about. It was hard enough not being able to refer to herself by a name other than "I", but remembering when she didn't know what to call Emily… that was harder. She needed some sort of nickname… something for Emily to be able to call her. Then, suddenly she had it. "Jenny."

Emily started. "What?"

"Jenny," she repeated, beginning to smile. "I think I heard it from one of the guards when talking about his sweetheart. I really liked the name."

Emily smiled. "I'll just call you that, then, until you find the real one. And I'll help you do it, okay?" After receiving a nod, Emily pulled Jenny out into the hallway. "Alright, let's get out of this Agni-forsaken place."

The two girls hurried down the hallway toward the only door that didn't lead into a safe room. _Cell_, Jenny mentally edited herself. She no longer had to convince herself everything was okay. It was time for her to escape from the place that had treated her and her friend so poorly. Emily ripped open the door from the hallway into a more frequented part of the complex in which they had lived for… who knows how long. Waiting for them, however, were two soldiers.

"She _did_ come this way!" one of them exclaimed, bringing his hefty spear to bear on the pair. The other was not far behind him. Both wore full body armor, seemingly ready for anything that the girls could throw at them. What they probably hadn't planned for, however, was for both of their adversaries to lash out with magic at them. Emily's fingers poured fire hot and fast into the soldier on the left, while the soldier on the right fell to an attack from Jenny that was so black in color that it drained the light from the soldier's armor. Even as the soldiers fell from the onslaught, the armor of the one that Jenny had taken down had darkened to black.

Jenny had stopped to admire her hands… she had forgotten completely about magic… but Emily grabbed one of the objects of her admiration and dragged her along the hallway that they now found themselves in. "I managed," Emily said as quietly as she could and still be heard while running, "to destroy the object that prevented magic down here. I didn't bother to find what prevents our Ascension. We should be able to manage this with magic alone." She smirked. "I heard that all the big-wigs are away. We shouldn't have much more resistance than unprepared soldiers."

When they had gone a good distance down the hallway, they found a stairway up. Emily immediately darted up the stairs, while Jenny hurried to keep up with the taller girl's gait. The stairs ended in a very heavy door, which Emily opened easily. The doorway revealed what seemed like a closet, holding only some supplies in various shapes and quantities. Emily spared no glance for any of it, rushing right through to open the door on the other side.

The girls found themselves in a place that was decorated like it was actually lived in. The stone walls were the only things that the two sections of the complex shared. Here, there were nice torches every few feet in torchbearers that managed to be elegant. The floor was _carpeted_! In red, no less! This was obviously a place that guests were allowed to be, unlike where the girls had come from. Emily paused once out of the door, but it was only a moment before she was headed to the left, Jenny in tow.

Occasionally, the pair met soldiers, but they were easily taken care of the same way as the first two had been. About six or seven doors down from the closet that led downstairs, a door revealed the armory, which apparently had been Emily's first destination. She quickly searched through the items that were kept there, seeking something specific. While Emily was searching systematically, Jenny perused the selection, seeking something that would strike a chord within her. She knew why they were here; they couldn't depend on magic completely even once they were out of the complex. It was much safer to also be armed in some way. She remembered that she had been trained in a weapon in her previous life, but she couldn't remember even what kind of weapon it was.

At the same moment that Emily exclaimed, "Ah ha!" from behind her, Jenny found something that struck some sort of bell in her head. A spear lay mostly forgotten against a rack of swords in the back corner of the room, and somehow she knew that she had used that particular spear before. She took it into her hands and hefted it a little. Its weight was like a comfort, and it reminded her.

"_You take the haft like this," the man said, holding his own spear in a combat position. He was a big man, muscled and powerful, but the way he looked at the little girl that stood in front of him belied a gentleness. The little girl, about nine, held her own in imitation of the man's position, but couldn't hold it there very long, and the point dropped and buried itself a little in the soft ground. The man chuckled. "Don't you worry, sweetie, we'll be getting your strength to the point that you will even be able to hold this," he indicated the spear that he was holding in his own hand, "by the time you need to fight monsters by yourself."_

She held in her hands a part of her past. When she turned around, she found Emily looking at a rather gruesome-looking scythe with the same look on her face that Jenny imagined that she had on her own just moments ago. The two escapees spent only a moment more in their joint and yet separate reverie before exiting the armory and heading further down the hallway, looking for a way out of the complex.

Through one door, they found themselves able to see the open sky through another door, this one open and _huge_, to their right, but standing in front of the drawbridge out of what could now be recognized as a large castle was a large fully-armored man. He was armed with a large blade, which made the two girls pause. So close to freedom, Jenny growled as she twirled her spear into a ready position. Emily walked calmly over to the other side of the entrance hall, readying her own weapon. Their preparations seemed to amuse the man, for he laughed. It sounded almost like a growl.

"Such folly. Thou shalt not take thy leave before bid, knaves."

"We'll leave when we're good and ready," Emily said harshly. "And I'm ready NOW!" She charged the man, who pivoted and blocked her thrust with his blade. He had far more speed for someone with so much weight to bear than anyone had any right to expect. However, Jenny channeled her magic, letting loose a powerful blast of the darkness into the exposed side of their adversary. The force of the blow knocked him sideways a step, but he used his blade to knock Emily back a couple steps as he turned to regard Jenny, who was channeling another attack with her unlimbered hand.

"Thou hast magic I've… ne'er seen," the man said, awe evident in his tone. "Not to mention that thou canst use such in a null-magic field."

Emily channeled her own strike, her hand as red as Jenny's was black. Both girls advanced on the man, firing, but the man was blocking some of their strikes with his large blade. Sometimes he managed to block a strike directly back at his attacker, who was then forced to evade, stalling their attack. The only reason the girls were able to stay on the offensive was the other one would immediately pick up the slack to keep the knight on his toes.

The man had been backed up onto the drawbridge itself, but not very far onto it. The girls had gotten within range of his blade, so their magical onslaught was no longer the best course. They used their weapons to attempt to maneuver around the man, but he was too big and too fast for it to work very well. However, they had managed to force him back another step, and suddenly Emily stepped onto the drawbridge and her face changed.

It was like an awakening to light, for Jenny knew exactly how Emily felt the instant she set foot on the wood rather than the stone as well. Faces upturned, the girls felt long-forgotten power flow into themselves, and the long absence of the power followed by such a sudden resurgence forced white light from both of them, blinding their adversary and forcing him two more steps back.

"What is this?!" he called, a large gauntlet attempting to guard the slit in his visor.

When the light had faded, but not the spots that had appeared in the knight's vision, there was a deep red bird where the redhead had been. Her wings were abnormally shaped, almost as if they were made of flame. The tail was similar. The belly of the bird was a dull blue, and the upper edges of the bird were a very bright yellow. The effect of the coloring was that of a fairly large candle flame. The bird flew up, trilling a song of victory.

Adjacent, there was a dragon, a navy blue. Tiny wings reminiscent of a bat's on her back, she was flexing them and testing them to see what they could do. The claws were sharp enough to tear the wood beneath them, which she was careful about. The eyes were black enough to easily tell the difference between the eye color and the color of the scales. The beast roared a challenge to the sky, then looked hungrily at the armored figure in front of her.

Simultaneously, the bird and dragon breathed in and channeled their power to release breath attacks of fire and darkness, respectively. The knight flew backwards and fell heavily on the grass on the other side of the bridge. Both Ascents hurried across to freedom, the armored man challenging neither, for his consciousness had left him when he had left his feet. Changing back into their humanoid forms, the two Ascents ran with energy that they had not had in years, finding themselves free.

Jenny's hair was streaming behind her. She looked to her left to find Emily's hair doing the same. The two were running in stride, an easy loping gait that Jenny knew that she could keep up for hours, she had so much energy. A feeling she hadn't felt in a long time was blooming throughout her body, threatening to wash away all the bad feelings she had ever had. She willed it to happen.

_Time to find myself!_


	23. II:7: Away From Danger?

**Act II: Adolescence****  
Chapter 7: Away From Danger?  
Party: Ryu, Nina, Lance, James, Leah**

Ryu came awake slowly, as if swimming up from the depths of his consciousness. It was a great effort to open his eyes, and the strain made him moan as he shifted into a different position. His muscles protested; having been stuck in the same position for a while, they didn't want to move. When he finally did get his eyes open, he recognized that there was a clear blue sky above him. He was outdoors. A moment later, some of the light of the sky was blocked by a head. He blinked rapidly, trying to bring the face into focus and succeeded. Nina's smiling face came into clear view.

"You're awake," she stated happily. Her face retreated from his view and he heard her footsteps as she walked off, leaving him relatively alone. He used the opportunity to sit up carefully, trying not to aggravate any part of his body that he didn't necessarily have to. He hadn't been sitting up for longer than a minute when all of his companions were suddenly by his side.

"Welcome back to the land of the living!" Lance said happily, slapping Ryu on the back, who hissed in pain. Lance seemed to not notice. "We were wondering how much longer you were going to be out. The priest told us not to worry about you, but we couldn't stay in the cave for much longer than we did. I hope you don't mind us carrying you out of there."

James was carrying breakfast in his hands. "I figured you'd be hungry," was all he said, handing over the food. Ryu took the opportunity to eat heartily. He was starved. As he ate, he felt his energy returning and the pain of waking fade. The more he ate, the more it was clear that all he needed was the food to feel alright again.

"So, are we ready to leave Tantar yet?" Leah said in a long-suffering tone. "I'm just about ready to leave this place and never come back."

"You're an Agent of the Wyndian Crown," Lance responded, "you expect to be able to not come back to the Empire?"

"Well, Ryu?" James said, cutting off what was likely a scathing reply from Leah, "where's your next destination?"

"The Bleak Forest," Ryu replied. "I need to figure out where the Lightning Temple is, but they told me that it lies somewhere in the Bleak Forest."

"Good," Leah said. "Since that's near Auria, is there any objection to us making haste to the checkpoint _now_?"

"If only to get you to shut up," Lance muttered quietly, but not quietly enough. He fled in the face of Leah's wrath, leaving James, Nina and Ryu watching them go.

"I wonder if he'll ever learn," James said absently. Then he turned to Ryu. "As soon as you feel up to it, we're headed south and out of here. Take your time."

As James walked away, intending on packing up the supplies and preparing the packs, Nina remained by Ryu's bedroll. "Despite Lance's joshing, I think we'll all feel better when we're out of Tantar," she said quietly, watching James step calmly aside as the other two Agents flew past him.

Ryu nodded as he rose, done with his meal. "I agree. The only place I felt safe was in the _Temple_ with all of those fire monsters."

Nina giggled. "You could put it that way."

A few minutes later everything was packed away and ready for travel. The party set out southwest away from the shadow of the volcano. The monsters were just as they remembered them, but they were even less trouble now than they had been when they had been traveling to and from Riverine. The checkpoint was about a day's travel from the volcano, so the party reached it on the following morning, having left their camp at the volcano just before noon the day before.

The checkpoint lay at the base of a mountain range that separated the city-state of Auria from the rest of the world. The Tantaran Empire had evidently decided that a checkpoint was sufficient for the control of the border, as opposed to a border fort. All traffic through the mountains was filtered through a cave. The checkpoint was built such that it was impossible to go through the cave and not go through the checkpoint. Ryu supposed that this was the idea. The Empire needed to control its borders after all.

Leah had false paperwork for Nina and herself, while James had the paperwork for James, Lance and Ryu. When challenged by the guard on duty, the Agents presented the paperwork. After only a cursory glance at the paperwork, though a lingering stare at Nina's face under her cloak, the guard let them through the checkpoint with no fuss. The party headed into the caves.

Unlike the caves that Ryu had been in beforehand, these were not tied to a particular element. There were interesting monsters there, however, just like the Wind Caves from his trip to Wyndia or the caves through the volcano that had turned out to be the Fire Temple. Leeches were easily the most predominant of the denizens of the caves, annoying both in their numbers and their propensity to attempt to suck the life out of party members that they latched on to.

Other hazards in the caves included ameblobs, shadows and a few other menaces that could make any day bad. The ameblobs easily shrugged off physical damage, but fell _very_ quickly to magic. Shadows had an aversion to Ryu's Aura, so he exploited this little trait whenever they bothered the party. There were also a few monsters that were called 'midgets', but they didn't really cause all that much of a problem.

The trek through the cave was straightforward. There weren't any major turnoffs to get lost on, and the party found themselves facing the opening of the Aurian side of the mountains before too much time had passed. The issue was that their path was blocked. Blocked by a rather large ameblob. It did not waste any time, attacking Nina with a protrusion of itself and knocking her backward and she fell to the cold floor. The next attack went straight after her too, but Ryu drew his sword in a way that sliced off the protrusion, which returned to the main body.

Leah, knowing (and rather disgusted by the fact that) she would be no help here directly, ran to the back to help Nina, who for her own part shook off the help and rushed to the front. As she was the strongest magical fighter in the party, she was a welcome addition to the front ranks upon her arrival. Leah stayed in the back, occasionally picking up a fallen comrade and administering herbs or even a vitamin in one case when Ryu took a nasty fall from a Sphere spell the giant ameblob had cast.

Nina cast Sever, the basic Air spell a couple times, but it wasn't seeming to have as much of an effect as she would have liked. Ryu had just been able to cast a more powerful Heal spell that he had been working on called Rejuvenate, so Nina took this idea and ran with it. She poured power into her casts and after only two tries, had a new trick up her sleeve.

"_Cyclone!_" she called, willing into being winds that rocked and buffeted a large area of the cave, which she quickly directed into a focused attack on the enemy. The damage was mounting, so she continued her assault with the winds. While her attacks were effective now on the monster, the other party members were having more of a hard time with their own spells. As Nina found her new tactic and stuck with it, Ryu decided to change his own. A bright white light flashed, and Wyvern stood where Ryu had been standing.

Wyvern's ability to use a mid-level fire spell was immediately used to great effect on the giant ameblob, and the fact that the winds from Nina's attack were fanning the flame gave Nina an idea. "Why don't we try a combination?" she called over the tumult of the two-pronged attack. She got a nod in response, and Wyvern prepared a fresh casting of Fireball. When he was ready, he lobbed it so that it would fall on the ameblob from above and with a predictable speed. Nina cast her own spell quickly to complete the combination.

"_Simoon!_"

The Air took the Fire and spread it, fueled it, and struck the ameblob with it. The fireworks show was spectacular, and when the spell was done with its work, the ameblob had melted into the cave floor, dead. Nina jumped up in celebration, Leah cheered and Ryu returned to his humanoid form with a satisfied look on his face. The other two Agents looked impressed. "Well done, Ryu," Lance said to him. "I'm guessing that's the form that you gained from the Shrine?"

"Yeah," Ryu said, but he didn't elaborate. Lance didn't press him, and neither did anyone else as the party left the cave on the south side of the mountains.

"We've left Tantar," Leah breathed.

Nina was grinning. "Finally. I can take this stupid thing off." She quickly removed her cloak and stretched languidly, enjoying the sunlight on her face. When she finished stretching and her arms were rocking at her sides she caught Ryu looking at her, but the instant their eyes met they both looked away blushing.

"Thank the Gods Ascents are more welcome in the southern lands," Lance said as the party set off once again. "We don't have to keep our heads as low and away from civilization."

"It will be nice to have beds for the night again," Ryu said.

The trip from the cave to the city-state of Auria was extremely easy. The monsters that populated the area were the same as the ones that populated southern Wyndia. With as strong as all the members of the party had become, they were even more of pushovers than they had been a scant week beforehand. The trip took the rest of the day, but considering that they had gone from a bit north of the Tantaran checkpoint all the way to Auria in so short a time, they felt accomplished. Not to mention the new spells that had been acquired in the interim.

The party obtained a room at the inn just as dusk was starting to fall. The girls had one room while the boys had another, but all five found themselves in the boys' room once they were all as unpacked as they were going to be that night. "So what's the next step?" Nina asked the room at large.

"We head east, into the Bleak Forest," James replied. "There's a passage through the southern mountains in the forested area, and we can get to the desert from there."

"The Bleak Forest is not a place to be taken lightly," Lance said, more seriously than was his normal demeanor, which lent weight to his words. "The Forest has magic in it that confuses travelers. We need to stay close and together, and that is not always easy to do. I've been through the Forest once with a few Knights, and we got separated." He shook his head bitterly. "Seven of the Knights made it back to Wyndia, as did I. The other three…" he let the sentence hang. "I don't think I have to stress how important it is to be careful. Don't listen to voices, don't leave the path. I will lead the way, since I know the way to the desert. Follow me. Nothing else."

The remaining party nodded soberly, agreeing to Lance's fervent request. "We should go to bed," James said. "There's no need to worry unduly about tomorrow. As long as you're careful about what you do, we'll _all_ make it safely to Arad." He gave a significant look to Lance, though no one other than Lance caught it. "Sleep well." Nina and Leah left the room and the men and boy retired for the night.

Ryu had trouble getting to sleep, finding that the pronouncement of Lance's was weighing heavily on his mind. Finally giving up when even the tiniest sound sparked a surge of frustration in his gut, Ryu rose. He quietly crept his way through the room, then carefully opened and went through the door. Once he had closed it behind him with a barely audible click, he padded downstairs to the main dining area of the inn.

He was surprised to find Leah already there, staring into the dying embers of the fire. She was the only one left in the room; it seemed even the proprietor had gone to bed. The fire was the only light in the room, excepting candles that were lit to frame the exit to the kitchen in the back of the room, the stairs to the rooms and the exit to the street. The fire lit Leah's face with a soft red light that gave further emphasis to her look of worry.

"You couldn't sleep either, I take it," Ryu said quietly. He sat down in a chair next to the fire as well.

"Yeah," she said, just as quietly.

There was a pause. "What's bothering you?" Ryu asked, uncomfortable with the silence.

"The forest," Leah said simply. There was another pause, this one shorter, before Leah continued her thought. "I thought that… since we're out of Tantar, the danger had passed."

"There are dangerous places in this world," Ryu said, "particularly lately."

"That's right, there's your town. In Wyndia no less." Leah looked down at the floor, which still had a reddish glow, though the fire had died to the point that it barely reached their faces anymore. "I've only been on missions in Wyndia and Romero before my assignment in the Princess Guard. There aren't very many places to watch out for there. Sure there are monsters in the plains and mountains and forests… but there's no place like Bleak there."

There was a brief pause. "I feel like I'm out of place," Leah said softly.

Ryu blinked, "What?"

Leah looked at him, her face hard to read. "I'm… I don't know if I'm the best person for this job, you know? All of my experience is with Romero and Wyndia. Why was I sent into Tantar? Why am I now in Auria? And headed to Arad? These are places I'm not really… ready for…"

Ryu snorted. "Hardly."

Leah gave him a look of doom.

"You're strong enough to handle danger, Leah," Ryu explained quickly. "You've been doing a good job this whole time. From getting Nina out to keeping the monsters at bay. Who cares if you're the best one for the job at this point? You're the one doing the job, regardless of all that. So… you're the one that matters. Your abilities are the ones that matter, and so far they haven't let anyone down."

"Except the Princess Guard…" Leah said dejectedly.

A new voice chimed in from the direction of the stairs. "They knew the risks."

Both Leah and Ryu turned to regard the stairs, where Nina now stood, somehow looking as if she hadn't just woken in the middle of the night (how do young women do that, anyway?). "Each one of the Princess Guard that came with us to the Imperial Palace sat down and discussed with you, Father, Mother or me about how dangerous the post might be for that mission. Some said no, and those remain behind. Those who came all knew and agreed to the risks."

Nina walked over to the two by the fire and sat in a third chair nearby. "That doesn't change the fact that they died or were captured or whatever so that _you_ could get _me_ out." She paused. "Do you know why you were picked as the Agent attached to the Princess Guard?"

Leah mutely shook her head.

"It's because you were the best Agent for the job," Nina said simply. "There was no one else we, my parents and I, trusted with the job."

Leah found herself without words, opening her mouth to try to convey her emotions aloud, but she closed her mouth, finding that she couldn't.

Nina smiled warmly at her. "So no more of that. We'll all need sleep for tomorrow, don't you think?" Leah and Nina rose and Nina walked Leah up the stairs out of sight. Ryu watched them go before he turned and regarded the last of the dying embers once more.

The fire abruptly died, leaving him in candlelight.


	24. II:8: The Bleak Forest

**Act II: Adolescence  
Chapter 8: The Bleak Forest  
Party: Ryu, Nina, Lance, James, Leah**

Ryu yawned again as Auria fell out of sight behind one of the gently sloping hills that lead toward the Bleak Forest. Though he had eventually gotten to sleep the night before, the hour had been much later than Ryu would have liked, and so he found himself wanting more sleep as the rest of the party had risen and at least looked more or less refreshed. Even Nina and Leah seemed in better spirits than Ryu felt. He did, however, try to keep the amount of sleep he'd had the previous night to himself.

The party reached the forest without any trouble and while it was still early enough in the morning that they hadn't seen the sun climb above the trees during their whole approach. When they reached the copse of trees that was to be their chosen entrance, Lance took the lead. The party headed in, carefully following the path that wound from the edge of the wood.

As quickly as five or six trees in, the morning sunlight was basically nonexistent. By the time they had spent five minutes in the forest, it was as dark as night. Lance, who was in the lead, and James, who had taken up the rear, now had torches lit and out for them to see by. Ryu had offered to create light in the air by magic, but Lance had shaken his head. "We can't, too dangerous to use magic unless absolutely necessary."

The monsters in the forest charged them with fang and claw, which was a relief to Ryu who had been told that stepping off the path could be disastrous. Leah took particular pleasure in taking down the local wildlife, and due to the prohibition on magic, she was the most effective of the party at it. An indeterminate time passed: it was impossible to guess on the amount of time they had spent in the forest, but Ryu thought it couldn't be more than a few hours. Suddenly, there were hissing sounds that could be heard, and they seemed to be coming from all directions.

Lance froze, causing the rest of the party to become more alarmed at this development. James moved into the center of the group with Ryu and Nina, while Leah took his place at the back of the line. The hissing grew louder. "It seems we've been found despite not using magic," Lance remarked quietly. "Magic is now absolutely necessary; use it to attack the Bleak Mamba…" Ryu gulped.

Leah cried out. Ryu whirled to look down the path where she was and saw a rather large snake slithering its way along the path toward them. The snake reared up when it got within ten paces of the party easily becoming taller than Leah as it hissed and spit a challenge at them. Lance cried out as well, and with a sense of foreboding, Ryu turned around again to find a snake that looked identical to the one challenging the party from Leah's side was challenging Lance's side of the party. Ryu grumbled a rather impolite curse which earned him a shocked look from Nina.

Nina fired off Air spells at a lightning speed, doing obvious damage to the snakes. Lance joined in with his Fire spells and James used Earth. Ryu was going to use his Light spell, but Leah, in the act of trying to prevent the snake from counterattacking the magical blows, had been bitten, and Ryu was forced to cast Heal on her. It didn't help much alone, but when Nina noticed and cast Cleanse on her wound, Ryu was able to Heal it. Having discovered this, Nina and Ryu teamed up to heal any further wounds inflicted by the two snakes.

Leah got off a lucky shot with one of her spear tricks and managed to deeply wound the snake on her side. James flung in a follow-up shot which stuck hard enough to lift the snake into the air before dropping it unceremoniously just off of the path, where it no longer moved. The party reshuffled the marching order so that Leah faced the remaining snake, which was already getting angry at its inability to poison the party effectively due to Ryu and Nina's work.

The same strategy that had brought the first one down brought the second one down as well, but this time it was Lance's Flare that was the final blow, which caused the snake to explode into fragments that scattered the path in front of the party.

There was a beat of silence. "Eew!" Nina said, backing up a bit. "_Disgusting!_"

Lance sighed, looking dubiously at the mess. "We don't really have any choice but to walk over it."

"I do!" Nina said indignantly. "And I will take advantage of it, thank you very much." She lifted into the air on her wings, but then was buffeted to the side as if there were a stiff wind that had blown into her wings. But the strangest thing wasn't the absent wind, it was the fact that once Nina was no longer over the path, but over the uneven ground to the party's right, she disappeared without even hitting the ground.

"Princess!" The three Agents shouted at roughly the same time, easily drowning out Ryu's call of "Nina!" James was about to step off the path in the direction that they had seen Nina blown, but Lance stopped him. "No! She has to…" He swallowed before continuing. "She has to do this on her own. We can't help her until she's escaped the forest."

Ryu's response was vile and to the point. "I'm going," he continued. He broke into a run, vanishing before he had taken more than a single step off the path, leaving the Agents in complete silence.

* * *

Ryu found that he was completely alone very quickly. "Nina!" he called out into the darkness of the forest. "This is stupid," he muttered between calls, casting a spell that brought light to the forest where he stood. He knew that this would make him easier to find, but that was part of the point. If Nina knew where he was, she could direct him to her. The fact that this had the unintended side effect of being more findable by monsters, well, they had been using torches while _on_ the path…

"Nina!" he called again, beginning to feel like his rash decision to go after Nina hadn't been such a good idea after all. Hope flared to life once again in his chest as he heard an answer. Faint, but it was there.

"Ryu!" And it was definitely Nina's voice that was calling back to him. He turned in the direction that he thought the voice was coming from and followed it.

"Nina!"

"Ryu!"

He was definitely getting closer, though he had to deal with a pair of zombies that crossed his path, which he struck aside with a spell and barely a thought. "Nina!"

"Over here!" Nina's voice was coming from his left now, and he stepped into a small clearing of the gnarled trees that were the standard of the forest. Nina was laying in a heap on the opposite side of the clearing, and Ryu ran to her side. She groaned in obvious pain, and Ryu set about Healing her injuries.

"What happened?" Ryu asked as he healed her to the point that she could talk without any pain.

"Apparently, it's not a good idea to fly in here," she replied dryly, wincing at Ryu's ministrations. "I can't control myself while in the air, but extending my wings doesn't affect me when I'm on the ground, so I have no idea what's causing it. Where are the others?"

"You… well… vanished," Ryu told her gently. "The instant you weren't above the path any more. Lance stopped James who was going to go after you, telling him that you had to do this alone." He finished the healing. "You should be able to stand up now."

"I don't want to," she said, "I'm beat. Why – How did you get here, then?"

Ryu grinned. "Well, logic says that you should be most easily reachable if followed in the same place of the path off the same side. So… I did. I don't know if anyone followed me. It threw us quite a bit a ways from each other considering I left the path very near where you did."

Nina smiled. "Well, thank you, I'm glad you were the first thing that found me."

"So am I," Ryu said. "Shall we get moving? I want to find the Lightning Temple. Then we should get out of here."

Nina nodded, rising, and the two Ascents set off.

The forest was much harder to navigate without the path guiding their every step. Neither Nina nor Ryu could figure out where the directions were, as they were unable to see the sky through the canopy that kept the forest so dark. Thus, they had to guess as to the way that they were going. This led them off on what they knew was basically a roll of the dice as to whether they would get out, much less find the Lightning Temple.

The monsters that were off the path were mostly the same, though zombies were found in much higher numbers in this wild part of the forest. Ryu's spells were much more effective with the local wildlife while Nina was often forced to use her rapier to help him out. Ryu tried to keep his use of magic down, as while Nina's magic could serve most of their healing needs, they needed to be ready just in case something unexpected were to drop in on them.

Some indeterminate time after setting out, the two were in fact surprised by a wildcat that jumped into a clearing just as the two teens entered and growled at them. Ryu and Nina stopped, watching the wildcat carefully. It seemed that, despite its size, it was going to be more of a challenge than the other adversaries that they had faced since being separated from the Agents. The wildcat's coloring was a golden coat with short black stripes on the face and legs. It was now hissing and spitting at them, pacing across the gap between the two trees it had jumped between to enter the clearing.

Ryu carefully leaned his head toward Nina's. "Do you think it's guarding something?" he asked.

Nina nodded, but it was obvious that she was thinking about something else. _What else is there to think about? It might attack any second!_

To Ryu's consternation, it did attack that second, launching itself at his chest obviously intending to scratch him up. Ryu flattened himself to the leafy ground and rolled up where the cat had been originally, drawing his sword. Nina's rapier was out as well, and she was in a combat position having rolled away from a subsequent attack by the wildcat. _Damn, that thing moves fast!_ He had no more time to think on it, as the wildcat was already pouncing once again. Ryu managed to deflect the charge with his blade and he spun with the cat to continue facing it as it disengaged from the strike.

The cat continued to hiss its displeasure at them, for whatever reason that Ryu couldn't fathom, while Nina came up to stand alongside Ryu. The cat was once again guarding the exit from the clearing that it had entered from, stalking from tree to tree, hissing. Nina suddenly gasped, which caused the cat to attack once again. Ryu tried for a stabbing attack but missed quite terribly. Nina managed to deflect the cat with her rapier nearly the same way that Ryu had with his sword a few seconds beforehand. Once she had disengaged with the cat, she got out, "I think it's a Woren!"

Before Ryu could process that little bit of information, the wildcat had pounced once again, this time knocking him down and scratching at his face. He flung his hands in the way, dropping his sword to the side to do so, and the cat cried out in obvious pain as Ryu saw the point of Nina's rapier pierce the fur-clad body. The cat jumped away from him, still in pain, and now bleeding on the forest floor. In the slight reprieve, Ryu snatched up his sword and pointed it at the wildcat. He wasn't going to be caught off-guard again. Or so he thought.

The wildcat cried out again, but this time it was a yowl of fury to the sky, and the sky answered. A bolt of electricity shot through Ryu, slamming him into the ground once again, and he didn't need to look beside him to know that it had floored Nina as well. _Well, that confirms Nina's suspicion._ The wildcat was obviously a Woren ascent… but why was it attacking them? He had no time to think on this, as Nina was suddenly dealing with the cat once again, and this time Ryu managed to strike true.

The wildcat was slowed greatly by the wounds it had obtained in the fight. Breathing heavily, it watched its two adversaries warily. Ryu and Nina were also breathing heavily, but they were determined. Because the wildcat was an Ascent, "killing" the form would merely force the Ascent to revert to its humanoid form. With that in mind, spells flew through the air with great speed and pinpoint accuracy. The wildcat had no chance to dodge, and suddenly the figure that was being attacked was no longer a wildcat, but a humanoid man, not all that much older than the teens.

The man had fainted, which was normal for being forced out of a form so violently. His hair was brown and messy, going every which way. His skin was very… yellow. With black stripes on his legs. His clothes were ripped and torn; they could only be described as brown rags, though they covered enough of him to be decent. Ryu and Nina looked at each other and came to an unspoken agreement: this was where they were stopping for the night.

As Ryu prepared the camp, Nina stood watch over the prone form of the unknown Woren. However, he didn't stir until after the tent was set up and he had been moved inside. Nina was still the one watching him, but Ryu was outside keeping watch on the tent. The Woren groaned, hand going to his head. "Wow, what pain this time. I must have taken on something that I couldn't…" It was rather obvious when he noticed Nina was watching him with an amused smile on her face. "GYAH! Wha- who?" he screamed, his voice rising two octaves or so and his body scrambling to put as much distance between him and the strange winged girl as possible.

Nina giggled. "Hi, there!" she said cheerfully. "What's your name?"

"Trinil," he mumbled.

"Well, Trinil," Nina said, standing up from her seated position and brushing herself off. "I'm Nina, and my friend that's outside keeping watch is Ryu. We're sorry about forcing you back into your normal form–"

"I was fighting… _you?_" He was rather shocked at this notion.

Nina looked at him a bit strangely. "Yes, my friend and I. We're sorry about that, but you were making a pest of yourself. I hope you'll forgive us. How about you come outside and all three of us can talk?" Nina then flounced out of the tent, and Trinil could hear her call out. "Ryu! He's awake."

There was a moment of silence and stillness within the tent. Then Trinil's hand went to his head again and he closed his eyes against his headache.

"Well, doesn't this just beat all…"

* * *

Author's Note: I'm doing Nanowrimo this year... and I don't write fanfic for Nanos. I do original. So... there won't be any updates until December.... *hides*


	25. II:9: Electric Power Building

**Act II: Adolescence  
Chapter 9: Electric Power Building  
Party: Ryu, Nina, Trinil**

Ryu looked up as Nina exited the tent. The fire flared suddenly beneath his feet, making him flinch as Nina called out to him. "Ryu! He's awake!" He smiled, trying to pretend that he hadn't twitched at all and hoping that Nina hadn't noticed. She didn't act like it, as she got to him and grabbed his hand in her excitement. "Now you can ask him where the Lightning Temple is!"

Ryu nodded. The Woren race were the Ascents born from Donara, who ruled over the element of Lightning. If there was anybody in the forest that could tell him where the Temple was, the guy in the tent was it. That did assume that he helped them out, but Ryu figured that since the Woren had fought them once and lost, he could be convinced to help out, even if that help was just to point in the right direction.

Nina sat herself by the fire, warming her hands. The air inside the forest at (what they _figured_ was) night was much colder than the air on the plains. Ryu continued to check the surroundings for monsters that could surprise them, and after only one circuit of the camp, the Woren came out of the tent. He was obviously confused, but Nina was indicating for him to join her at the fire. He hesitated a moment, but then proceeded to sit down. Ryu joined them, and there was general shifting so that they were all facing the other two.

"Uh, Ryu, was it?"

Ryu nodded. "Yeah, that's me."

"I'm Trinil," the Woren said by way of introduction, before ducking his head, bringing him to the same level as the teens. "I'm sorry for… uh… earlier. I… don't have much control when Ascended…" He trailed off, blushing lightly.

Both Nina and Ryu were obviously rather disturbed by this revelation. "That's weird," Nina said, "I didn't think there were any Ascents that couldn't control their forms."

"I didn't either," Ryu said. "I guess we were misinformed, eh, Trinil?"

Trinil didn't respond verbally, his face instead fading more and more away from yellow and closer to red.

"Ah…" Ryu tried searching for something to say, but didn't come up with anything that worked. The silence stretched well into awkward territory.

"Perhaps you would like us to talk about something else, Trinil?" Nina asked kindly. She was rewarded with just the barest of nods, but it was enough that both Nina and Ryu felt like some of the awkwardness had been siphoned out. "What are you doing in this forest?"

Trinil looked up at Nina, obviously embarrassed about this question as well, but not _as_ embarrassed, which seemed to be enough to allow him to answer. "I'm headed to the Lightning Tower. I… I am late for my test, but I heard that there was a Dragon on pilgrimage, so I might be able to complete my test when the Dragon gets there, and I… and…" he trailed off, noticing that his two hosts were laughing and desperately trying not to. "…What?"

Ryu managed to recover first. "I'm the Dragon. I guess that means we're headed to the same place."

Trinil blinked, then laughed himself, though his smile didn't reach his eyes. "I guess so! Something went right, then. Go figure."

"Do you know where it is?" Nina asked.

"Yeah," Trinil replied. "Once I'm able to figure out where _we_ are, I should be able to lead the way there."

"Alright," Ryu said, nodding. "You get on that, but we'll be resting here for… a night, or at least as close to it as we can determine. You should rest too."

Trinil nodded. "Alright." He got up. "Sleep first, locate later." He walked into the tent.

Nina turned to Ryu. "Well, that seemed to work out pretty well."

Ryu nodded. "I'm still worried about his transformation. Especially if he can't control himself when he's in it. I mean, if the Test is anything like I think it will be, he might be a liability rather than a help."

Nina frowned. "Not that I know any details." She got up herself. "Wake me up for second watch." She also headed inside the tent.

Nothing happened on any of the watches, and eventually all three felt relatively rested and decided to break camp. Afterward, it only took Trinil fifteen minutes or so to determine where in the forest they were to his satisfaction and confidently chose a direction in which they should head. Unfortunately, the trip through the forest turned out to be much more eventful than the "night" before had. The combination of movement and the magical light that Ryu was using to make sure they could see seemed to be attracting the more unsavory denizens of the forest.

Trinil turned out to be rather useful in combat situations, using a staff to great effect. His focus was more on speed than anything else, having a somewhat limited spell selection. Only the basic Lightning spell was available to him, though thankfully Jolt had a rather large area of effect. Trinil's speed specialty was generally enough for him, however, being able to dodge and weave through as many as five or six packed enemies rather easily.

Worens were like Wyndians in that neither could pass themselves off as a human at all. Trinil was no exception, having yellow fur covering most of his skin. Not to mention a rounded furry tail. His coloring and patterns of fur matched that of the wildcat that he could transform into. Ryu figured that he wouldn't even be able to hide with a hooded large cloak. Even his face was too obviously not human. All the better that they hadn't met up with him in Tantar. That might have been just too hard.

The three managed to deal with the enemies that the forest was throwing at them with little difficulty. The only real trouble that came was in the form of zombies, which apparently never bothered those who remained on the path. Ryu's spells were especially effective against the undead, making him the best at dealing with them. They seemed to have little in the way of other weaknesses, much to Nina and Trinil's frustration. Ryu also didn't want to always be using his spells, as he needed to make sure he was never out of power when he desperately needed it.

It took them something in the realm of a half of a day to reach the Tower, though this was a guess based on the sunlight that they could finally see when they emerged in a large clearing where the Tower stood centered. It was the first and only break in the canopy they had seen since entering the forest, and Nina in particular reveled in the sunlight. The monsters that dwelled in the forest refused to enter the clearing, apparently afraid of the sunlight. Noticing this, Ryu suggested that they rest for a while before entering the Tower. This was deemed a good idea by both of his companions.

That evening, Ryu, Nina and Trinil entered the Lightning Tower.

The light within was an eerie yellow that contrasted with the golden color of the sunset that Nina closed the door on. There was a lot of metal, and were a lot of wires. Trinil led them in, having been there before, but didn't solve any puzzles. "I've already been through the Tower puzzles, after all," he remarked when Nina asked him why he wouldn't help solve the puzzles. "Ryu needs to do it now in order to earn the right to enter the Lightning Shrine." Ryu took the lead after that.

None of the puzzles were particularly hard, though they did take some time to complete and were required in order to get to the staircase that led to the floor above. The enemies were slightly more of a nuisance, though Trinil could shrug off a hit from any of the Lightning spells that they were throwing at the party. Neither Ryu nor Nina's spells were especially effective, so most of the time all three resorted to their armaments to dispatch the electric bugs, floating spheres and other assorted strange creatures.

There were ten floors to the Tower, each one containing its own puzzle. The tenth floor didn't contain a puzzle so much as a blockade. There were no obvious signs of a blocking of the path. The floor was a single featureless room. The unnatural yellow color of the walls was the only light despite the windows that were on this floor, as night had fallen. However, that light was plenty to see the door that was situated across the room from the staircase down to the ninth floor. It was obviously the same kind of door that led from the Fire Temple to the Fire Shrine: it looked just as out of place in the Tower as it had in the Volcano. The only difference was the symbol was not a flame, but a lightning bolt coming from a cloud.

Ryu made to cross the room to the door, but Trinil called out suddenly. "Stop!" Ryu obeyed. "I… I feel a presence," Trinil continued, cautiously passing Ryu. "A presence of a powerful Lightning creature." Nina stepped off of the top stair; instantly, the staircase was blocked off by metal sheeting that was glowing with the trademark yellow. The clamping shut of the opening to the floor below echoed in the chamber. "I feel it stronger now," Trinil said softly.

Ryu and Nina were warily searching for signs of the creature. Nina spoke softly: "Just like the salamander in the Fire Temple, Ryu. What's the Lightning equivalent?"

As if on cue, the center of the room was suddenly alive in crackling electricity, revealing a bird with the wing span of Ryu's shoulder to fingertips. It was a similar yellow to the chamber's glow, but not similar enough that it was impossible to see against such a background. Trinil was using the appearance of the threads of lightning to recharge his power, though how he would use it against such a creature, Ryu was unsure.

"I'll be of little use here," Trinil said, confirming Ryu's thought. "I'll act as support. Only your magics can damage an Animikii!" The bird had at this point collected its lightning threads into itself and called out a challenge to the party. Ryu and Nina readied their weapons, while Trinil prepared to try to take as many strikes as he could. He also had a trick up his sleeve. "_Speed!_" He cast the spell three times, allowing the party to move fast enough to meet the incredibly quick attacks of their foe.

The Animikii dove and swerved around, not following any pattern that Ryu could see, seemingly attacking the different members of the party at random. Ryu was unable to bring his sword to bear on the large bird as it went through the space he could reach too quickly, but Nina, with a lighter rapier, had more success. Knowing what was waiting for him beyond the cold silver door that was still on the other side of the room, Ryu was hesitant to transform and waste power that he could use more effectively later. Even the casting of spells was something he wanted to avoid if at all possible.

Trinil, having powered up the party, unlimbered his staff and began to take his own swipes at the hard-to-hit creature. He was also having more success than Ryu was, by virtue of having struck the creature even once. He was faster than Nina, landing more blows than she had even with the shorter time he had been attempting to strike the bird. Nina had gotten frustrated by this point, and had begun using wind spells to affect the bird's flight pattern and in an attempt to damage it more often. On both counts, she was successful. It was through her manipulations of the currents that Ryu was able to score a clean hit, and with the weight and power of his sword, this greatly affected the bird's ability to fight.

Through this system, the party wore down the Animikii until finally it couldn't move fast enough to avoid Ryu's systematic quartering, and the body exploded into threads of lightning that bounced off the walls and ceiling of the room. All three members of the party covered themselves with their arms and weapons to protect against the onslaught, and it gradually was absorbed into the metal that made up the floor of the chamber. The yellow glow, once they had reopened their eyes, had increased in the room, and the bird was gone. "I don't sense it any more," Trinil commented. Then the door across the room opened.

"Well done," a voice came before the figure. The figure which was revealed after a moment fit the voice, being female and slight. The robes even managed to look big on her, when Ryu knew that he probably couldn't have fit in them himself. He felt the kinship with her than meant that she was of his Clan. She had black hair and was somewhere in her thirties. Her standout features, however, were her kind grey eyes. She smiled at the three of them. "Very well done. I don't think that test's been passed with fewer than five people before.

"Trinil." So named, the Woren bowed to the Dragon Priest. "Ryu." The teenage Dragon followed suit. "You both may enter to participate in your tests." As the two of them made their way to door, leaving their packs behind for Nina, the Priest turned to the Wyndian. "I'm sorry I have to keep you out here, Princess, but I shall join you while the boys are… well, being boys." She stepped aside for the two young men to pass her, and then stepped around the door herself closing it carefully while she was on the same side of the Princess.

The Shrine looked nearly identical to the Fire Shrine. The dais was the same; the shape of the ceiling was the same. The differences were in who was present. As Ryu had expected, they were in the same positions. Ladon was the only one who was the same exact being in the same exact position. Ryu bowed to him, receiving a nod of the head as a response, before looking over the other two occupants of the room. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that Trinil had done the same to the other God that was on the dais.

It was, therefore, not surprising to find that it was a translucent figure of a woman. The woman's body was obviously one that was fit and healthy to the point that it was a wonder that she could ever not be training. She was primarily yellow, and there were threads of lightning that licked up and down her robes, which were open to reveal much more revealing clothing. Her face was hard, but not nearly as hard as Agni's was. She could only be Donara, the God of Lightning and the Woren.

At the front of the dais, now stepping down, was the second priest. This one was also female, her hair gray and obviously a rather old woman. Her stature was none the worse for wear, however, and her dismount of the dais was graceful and full of energy that made Ryu doubt his initial guess of her age. Her face and energy were the only clues, her robes concealing the rest of her body, even the feet. "Who enters Donara's Shrine?" she asked, her voice ringing off the vaulted ceiling.

"I do," the two Ascents responded simultaneously.

"Ryu Gensu, of the Dragon Clan."

"Trinil Rait of the Woren Clan."

The woman nodded. "Dragon Ryu, you are here to complete your Test of Lightning. Your partner will be Woren Trinil. Is this acceptable?"

"It is."

The woman turned to Trinil. "Woren Trinil, you are here to complete your Final Test. Your partner will be Dragon Ryu. Is this acceptable?"

"It is."

"Then you may prepare," The woman said, indicating two water basins that framed the entryway to the Shrine. "Drink of the Water of Life and be refreshed before your test. You will need all of your strength, willpower and stamina to face the trial that awaits you." Trinil went to the basin on the left, while Ryu went to the basin on the right. After drinking of the water that was there, Ryu felt incredibly refreshed. Perhaps he didn't need to hold back as much right before getting to the Shrines. He certainly felt much more ready to fight than he had when he had walked in. He could see in Trinil's black eyes as the two walked back to the center of the entryway that he felt the same way.

The woman had stepped down from the dais and was beckoning for the two of them to come forward. As they did, Ladon spoke. "Ryu, this is your second test. It will be harder than the first, but not as difficult as the third, fourth or fifth." Ryu started, and Ladon chuckled. "Oh, you thought there were only four tests, four Shrines? The King of Wyndia told you that? He was misinformed. You will be headed to the Shrine of Earth next: Gaia's. Water and Air remain afterward. Gaia's Shrine lies underneath the sands of Arad. Find the central oasis, and the people there will guide you."

Ryu nodded, stopping at the edge of the dais. Donara then addressed her subject. "Trinil, your final test is at hand. While this will not return to you control of your powers, as that is something that I cannot do for you - that you must learn for yourself - it will grant you the ability to regain control, and the ability to find your other forms. While I call it a final test, it is really the first step on a journey. I know you have been ready for this journey for a while, so I will not insult you by asking if you are ready now; I know it.

"Step up, warriors, and face your test!"

Ryu and Trinil followed instructions, and stood ready on the dais. Ryu drew his sword, putting it in a ready position while Trinil did similar with his staff. The god and goddess faded out of view as they were washed out in a brilliant white light. Ryu didn't try to see through the transformation, instead looking away so that his eyes wouldn't be out of whack at an inopportune time. Trinil, obviously also used to this, was looking back at him. They grinned at each other in the shared moment, and when the light had faded, they both snapped front to regard their challenge.

Across from Ryu was Zilant, the Thunder Dragon. Across from Trinil was a tiger-human hybrid. Ryu vaguely remembered the description from his lessons, and identified it as a 'weretiger'. Both roared challenges at their challengers, and Ryu's form faded into white light and returned as Wyvern to answer the challenge with his own roar. Trinil instead was casting the speed increase that he had on the party when facing the Animikii. He just barely got the second spell off before having to jump out of the way of Weretiger's pounce. Unlimbering his staff, Trinil landed in a ready pose.

Ryu charged the instant he felt his speed increased. His Wyvern form was raw power, and he hoped that the speed increase would be enough to land a few solid hits. Unsurprisingly, Zilant easily dodged the first charge, but Ryu was ready for this and blocked the riposte cleanly before launching his own claw attack, which missed. Then, while he was lining up his next attack on Zilant, felt claws sink into his back. Roaring in surprise and pain, Ryu whipped his powerful tail around and swatted Weretiger off of his back. A couple scratches remained where it had latched onto him. _So that's how they're going to play it, huh?_

Trinil was able to keep up with his quarry, but Weretiger seemed to revel in trying to disrupt the concept of the double duel that had been set up. Ryu had responded in kind, sending flames over in Weretiger's direction whenever he had a spare moment and Trinil was out of the way. Using this to his advantage, Trinil would often get a significant opportunity provided by the dodges of Ryu's excess attacks. In return, Trinil attempted to fire off his _Jolt_ spell a couple times, but it ended up just making Zilant laugh, so that stopped quickly. In the same way, any electric attacks from Zilant made Trinil scoff.

Neither duel seemed to be getting anywhere, despite the constant crossover help that each duel was attempting to give the other. After several minutes of this stalemate, both teams retreated to regroup a moment. "I've got an idea," Trinil said quietly to Ryu. Ryu's answer to Trinil's idea was to begin casting the requested spell. Trinil started casting his spell, and the adversaries became understandably wary. Ryu's spell went off first, surrounding Trinil with fire. Trinil felt the power of the flames flow into him as the visible fire danced around his form. He pointed and sent his own attack on the way, channeling into it all the fire that Ryu had granted him.

"_Firebolt!_"

From Trinil's outstretched hand came flying power in the form of a fireball that was laced with tiny lightning bolt threads that weaved into the fireball, resulting in the ball switching back and forth from fire with lightning to lightning with fire. Bringing that arm back, the other one shot forward to let fly another identical projectile, and it followed the first, heading straight for the adversaries. They both jumped out of the way of the projectiles, but the firebolts turned, intent on their targets. Surprise was evident on the Weretiger's face as it was struck by the firebolt, and Ryu was pretty sure Zilant was about as surprised.

The attack was draining, but Ryu hadn't thought it would be _that_ draining, and he found himself reverting to his human form. Trinil also collapsed in a heap as the firebolts exploded in a rather impressive flash of light and accompanying _boom_. When the dust cleared, the god and goddess were on the dais again, replacing their avatars.

"Once again, you exceeded my wildest expectations, Ryu," Ladon murmured mildly. "You as well, Trinil."

"Very well," Donarah said. "I grant the both of you the full extent of my power."

But the only thought Ryu got out before blackness took him was _Oh no, not again._

_

* * *

_Author's Note: And now we return to updating on a ... semi-regular basis. I won Nanowrimo (53,233 words last month!), though that story isn't done yet. I figured today, though, you guys needed a treat. Thanks for waiting.

Also: The chapter title is directly lifted from something I am fond of in the Breath of Fire series.


	26. II:Interlude: Away From the Front Lines

**Act II**

**Interlude: Away From the Front Lines**

Castle Wyndia had become significantly more boring since the recent departure of the two people who had figured prominently in Luna's life there. She found that despite thinking that Nina was a stuck-up snob, she _missed_ Nina in a strange way that she couldn't quite fathom. It was nothing like the way that the other kids around her age in the Castle missed the aggravating Princess, sure, but it was there and it bothered Luna. Why should she care at all that the Princess was gone?

However, she didn't often get the opportunity to try to figure out herself, or even the changes of the three years since she had arrived. Either she was in class (which she even – Zenith forbid! – found interesting occasionally), out training (which she still liked best) or was being pestered by the _other_ Royal Brat. Though why she couldn't get Prince Kenneth to leave her alone stumped her. She had tried everything short of thumping him.

The worst part was that where the Prince went, so did followers. And because Nina was not present, some that would prefer to follow her were following him as a replacement. It very nearly made Luna sick to think about. Maybe _that_ was why she missed Nina after all. Because anything was preferable to being followed around by a ten-year-old and his posse. Especially when you're fifteen and want nothing to do with said _child_.

Luna's slack expression as she stared out the window of the Castle to the front grounds seemed to be no hint to the Prince, who nattered on, ostensibly to her, about what he had learned about her particular brand of Ascent in his lessons lately. Of course, it was really to his sycophants about how wonderful/smart/quick or whatever he was. Luna tried to engage herself with the sights of particular citizens of the city going about their business, but they were boring enough that it didn't really help her.

She found, as usual, her rage rising as the toadies laughed at something that Kenneth had just related to them. Probably about himself, but at this point Luna wasn't paying enough attention (thankfully) to be able to tell. She finally turned around, her rage fighting its way through her boredom to take her attention. _Why are you listening to this brat?_ she asked the ones who were about her age silently. _It was understandable enough to follow Nina around, as you might be able to pretend to be _her_ 'friend'_.

Luna, of course, saw it for what it really was. When she had talked to Ryu about it, he agreed with her readily: the other nobles in the Castle desperately wanted to be on the good side of the Royal Family. She had known it was bad (pretending to be friends is pretty bad), but it ran deeper than even she had expected. She hadn't figured that it would be bad enough to pretend to be friends with the Royal child that was five years younger.

Luna's glare at Kenneth seemed to be having about as much effect on him as her disinterested stare. He continued to talk about nothing in particular, though some of the others were noticing the powerful stare that Luna had leveled at the Royal Brat. This of course, changed nothing about the conversation, since the one person who hadn't noticed the stare was the one who was talking and kept talking. And talking. Some of the others were becoming visibly nervous.

Luna's patience was already thin, but it managed to not become any thinner due mostly to the faces that she was causing on the other kids. She was enjoying something for the first time in a while in the _his _presence, so she kept it up, trying to see what faces would be made if she did so. Each moment that passed, something else became slightly more amusing, so she was never quite disappointed by the further and further reactions.

Finally, one of the sycophants started tapping Kenneth on the shoulder. A single tap didn't even break the cadence of the monologue he had been keeping up, but after about a minute of semi-continuous tapping, the cadence finally began to falter, and another fifteen seconds of renewed vigor in the tapping saw the monologue come to a close, if merely a trail-off. "What?" Ken asked the guy who was tapping him. The response was a silent indication of Luna's face, to which Ken finally really looked at; then he grinned. "Oh, she always looks like that eventually."

**SLAP!**

Ken's left cheek was rapidly turning red, and his hand came up seeking to rub away the sudden pain. Gasps sounded all around as the nobles realized that the prince had just been slapped. Tears were welling up in his eyes, and he burst into tears as he tore down the hallway toward the throne room. Most of the others followed quickly, but one remained behind. He was of the same age as Nina, Ryu and Luna. He was in the lessons that they were, as well as training. Like most of the other nobles, he was a Wyndian Ascent like Nina and Ken. His wings were smaller than most of the other Wyndians, but Luna knew that he was a better flyer than any but Nina.

His name was "Oren." He bowed to Luna, who looked completely unimpressed. _I know your name, idiot_. "I don't believe we've properly met."

Luna huffed and turned to walk in the opposite direction of where the Prince had fled. "I don't believe I wanted it to happen." Her steps were loud in the now nearly deserted corridor. Before she could take more than two, however, she found her arm held back. She spun and called her magical power to her hand, facing it palm outwards to her assailant, who looked rather taken aback at her reaction. "Did you think I was kidding?" she asked in a dangerous voice.

Oren swallowed, obviously fearful of the power that was visible in Luna's hand. This was unsurprising, as Luna had even more magical power than Nina did, which she had proved in a recent sparring match between them. Ryu had watched the duel closely to make sure that neither of them had hurt each other, and that had been enough to stop either girl from actually trying to cause bodily harm. But Luna had won handily, and it was known throughout the castle that the most powerful sorceress in it was the Celestial Ascent.

"I- I'm sorry," Oren stuttered, not really succeeding at sounding anything but scared.

"I'll bet you are," Luna replied, her voice calm. "How about you actually listen to me next time, hmm?" Oren was nodding infinitesimally. Luna decided this was enough of a warning and bled off the magic she had stored by creating light in the corridor. Oren flinched away from it at the same time she let go of him, so he flinched himself onto the floor. Luna stepped over him unconcernedly and headed toward her own room. That was a place she could be alone, since neither Prince Brat nor The Idiot was following her for the time being. She hoped this remained the same for a while.

Unfortunately, she wasn't really expecting what she met when she got to her door. "Jett!" she shouted in part shock and part anger.

The object of Luna's outburst hopped up from her bed like he'd been burned. "Hey there, Wolfie," he said, his tone not indicating that he'd just been startled so badly he'd jumped. "I thought you'd come up here eventually."

"I come up here to be _alone_," Luna said as she walked into her room and pointed out of it. Clearly a dismissal.

"Fine," Jett said, making to walk out the door, "I guess you don't care to hear the latest news from Tantar then…"

Luna blocked him. "You're insufferable. Spill."

Jett grinned as he headed over to take a seat on the chair next to the desk. Luna figured she'd allow that when he had news. "I'm stationed in Romero; I'll be heading back there tomorrow," he began, "I've been helping man the border with Tantar lately, as their actions recently have upset Romero as well as us, and we've been providing magical help on their border as they've provided soldiers for ours.

"Two nights ago, I was on watch when an Agent signal came, and it told me that there was someone of importance that needed to cross the border quietly…

_He rushed down the stairs of the border fort and found himself sprinting outside long before the other guards on his shift had noticed the Agent signal flare. Once he was over one particular hill, he sent up his own flare, a much simpler one. He had to wait after sending up the second signal, though he was quickly joined by three Romeron soldiers, who formed up behind him tense. Since Jett was tense himself, there was little he could do to ease the tension of his companions._

_After what seemed like an eternity, an obviously wounded man was carried by two others to the dip in the hills where the four men waited. The wounded man was in Wyndian colors and had the markings of the Princess Guard, while his helpers were in Tantaran colors. The Romeron soldiers didn't flinch, all ready at a moment's notice to gut the Tantarans. Once the Tantarans had placed the man in Jett's care, they collected themselves._

"_He has quite a story; you're the Caballo, right?" He barely waited for Jett's assent before continuing. "Take his story and then get it to the King as soon as possible. He's had a rough time of it, and shouldn't be expected to travel any further until healed." The Wyndian Agent undercover didn't wait for any further response. He and his partner went back up the hill and over to the Tantaran side of the border, while Jett turned and carried the man over to the Romeron side._

"_What can you tell me?" he asked the man softly. "You'll be in a nice warm bed tonight, and the sooner you tell me your story, the sooner you can go to sleep."_

"_The Princess… we were ambushed… once we reached the rooms… prepared for her in Tuntar. We scattered… I didn't manage very well… but I did manage to escape… the palace. I was…wounded… during the escape." The man weakly tapped his side, where his armor had buckled in from some sort of blow. There were other cuts and scrapes and it was obvious that his left leg had been slashed badly, but he was not bleeding anywhere visibly._

"_Go on," Jett prompted. The entourage had managed to get inside the fort, where there was quite a bit of bustle as the guards who had accompanied Jett to the rendezvous called for medical assistance and the Wyndian mage that was acting as a healer. Jett moved unconcernedly to the guest rooms of the Keep, as no one was staying there at the moment, and the man deserved comfort for making it that far._

"_I… didn't manage… to reach the rendezvous… Agent Leah… set… before they… left. I know they left… because one of them… left a sign… for someone… like me."_

"_Them?" Jett asked, laying the man carefully on the bed in the room he'd chosen. He had left the door open so that the staff the guards were summoning would be able to find him._

"_The… Dragon… and his… Agents… are who the… Princess went with," the man said, before breaking into fit of coughing. The Healer arrived, immediately setting to work on diagnosing the man's injuries but remaining silent for Jett's sake. "Leah… was the one… who set the… sign. It told me… that the Princess… had escaped… with her and… the Dragon."_

_Jett nodded. He had far to go this night._

"…and it took me two days to get here from there," Jett concluded. "Seems like Ryu and Nina survived a close one."

Luna tried to look like she hadn't just been enraptured by Jett's story. "I imagine you've already told the King all this."

Jett nodded. "Yup. First time I'd ever seen the King lecture the Prince in public." Luna perked up, _very_ interested in this news. "No lie. He arrived crying before I was finished, and was told in no uncertain terms to be quiet while I finished. Shocked him silly." Jett was grinning. "I came straight up here afterward; I didn't particularly want to be present when the King started to lay into his son."

Luna giggled helplessly. "Would you believe that I was the one who caused his distress?"

Jett's grin got wider. "Your turn. Spill."


	27. II:10: The Forest Fights Back

**Act II: Adolescence  
Chapter 10: The Forest Fights Back  
Party: Ryu, Nina, Trinil**

Ryu came to slowly, opening his eyes with no small amount of effort. Stretching, he glanced about. Finding himself in the tent, he closed his eyes, surrendering to the gigantic yawn overtaking him. This task complete, he wondered where Nina and Trinil had gone off to; he was alone in the tent. If the sounds were any indication, they were outside.

Ryu rose, leaving his bedroll in disarray. Outside the tent, he found it to be dark. The darkness wasn't nearly as complete as within the forest. Beside what was obviously once a fire was Nina, who was just as obviously nodding off. Trinil was splayed out nearby, dead to the world. "Nina," Ryu called softly, attempting to get her attention without startling her.

It failed. Nina sat bolt upright and whipped her head around to spot Ryu in one jerk. Once she discovered what had occurred, a hand went to her heart. "You scared me," she accused.

"Sorry," Ryu responded, sitting by her. "How long was I out this time?"

Nina grinned. "Longer than last. It's very early morning at this point. You came out at, um, noon? So nearly a full day."

Ryu cringed. "Wow."

"Yeah," Nina continued, "I was starting to get worried that I'd have to keep watch the whole night."

Ryu wanted to smack his forehead. Let the girl sleep! "Go to sleep, Nina. I'll keep watch."

Nina rewarded him with a warm smile. "Thank you, Ryu." She stood up, steadied herself a bit, then walked toward the tent, leaving Ryu out in the clearing. He still had questions (had Nina brought the two of them unconscious all the way out of the tower?), but they could be answered later. He instead found himself thinking about the forest that they had to brave that day.

The forest was dangerous when off the path, yes, but not as dangerous as Lance had been implying. Certainly not when the three of them were together. Ah, Trinil. What was he going to do now? He had, apparently, completed a test for Donara, and given that his sleep pattern was even more off than Ryu's, he assumed that Trinil was gaining something in the same way that Ryu had. He didn't want to assume it was a new form. Hopefully it was control and awareness of his current form. Or forms.

He didn't know much about Trinil, really. And all he knew about the older guy's goals was the fact that he was supposed to fight alongside Ryu inside the tower. That was over with. So that left Trinil without a clear reason to remain with them. Or at least, a clear reason that Ryu knew of. This made it obvious that the first order of business would be determining Trinil's plans and seeing how they could be accommodated while getting Nina and Ryu south through the mountains and into Arad.

Regardless, the plan _was_ going to involve the forest.

By the time the sun had properly risen to the point that it was casting its light directly into the clearing, all three of the Ascents had awoken and the packing had begun. "Hey, Trinil!" Ryu called out to the Woren, "help me with the tent!" Trinil looked up at Ryu and nodded, stuffing the last of his own bedroll together before heading over to where the partially dismantled tent was.

As the two began to fold up the canvas, Ryu remarked, "So what are you going to do now?"

There was a short silence, broken only by the sounds of the work. "I don't know," was the eventual response.

"Well, you could go back to your Clan, I guess," Ryu postulated as the two young men brought the canvas together again to make a neat fold.

Trinil's head turned downward at this, as if studying the canvas minutely. Ryu frowned, but he did not press the issue. He didn't have to wait all that long for a response, though he had to wait longer than the first silence Trinil had given him. "They…" Trinil started, before needing a deep breath to go on. "They told me I shouldn't come back."

There wasn't anything other than "Oh," that came to Ryu's mind as a polite way to respond to this. They finished folding the canvas in silence and Trinil turned to help pick up the stakes and the rope that held the tent up so that they could be packed as well before Ryu said, "Well, you could come with us."

Trinil snorted. "There's no reason for me to inflict my company on you," he told Ryu, picking up the stake and coil of rope where he was standing with more gusto than necessary.

Ryu stopped his pretense of working to put his hands on his hips. "You don't have to come, but you are welcome to. And I'll give you a reason. There was nobody for me to train with in my Ascended form when my village got attacked shortly after I had gained the ability, but in Wyndia, which is where we'll eventually return, since we have to get the Princess back there, they helped me. They helped Luna too, and she's almost able to control when she transforms and when she doesn't."

Trinil was staring at him. "They… they could help me?"

"I don't know what they can do about your inability to control your form," Ryu admitted, "but I do know that if anyone can help you with it, the people I stay with can. And, as a bonus," he thumped his chest, "you can train with me."

Ryu noticed that Nina was watching them silently as Trinil replied. "Are you sure I won't be a burden? I can't transform without endangering the two of you…"

Ryu waved it off. "You're a capable warrior without transforming, and if you don't transform then you're an extra pair of eyes and an extra weapon against the monsters we'll be running up against. We… we were separated from the rest of our party, and we'll probably need a few more hands to handle the monsters. You don't have to transform to be a help, and it may be that without transforming you are more useful, but that certainly doesn't mean that you _aren't_ useful."

Trinil looked dubious, but also hopeful. "And they would help me? Or at least," he amended, when Ryu opened his mouth to correct him, "they would try?"

"They will help any Ascent that asks for it," Nina said, joining the conversation as she pulled her pack shut. "I have a feeling that this includes you. So you should come with us." She managed to include an indication in her tone that there was no way to argue this point, something that Ryu was mildly envious of.

Trinil smiled at the winged girl. "I guess I should." Decision made, the three finished up the work of packing in short order.

However, that decision had nothing to do with where they were supposed to be going.

"We can figure out directions well enough from here," Ryu pointed out, looking up at the sun hanging in the eastern sky, "but keeping a straight line south to the mountain range would be difficult, at best."

"It's our best option," Nina groused, gesturing around. "While we're reasonably sure we're close to the north end, we'd have the same trouble trying to hit the northern range, since it's still below the canopy to our eyes. Not to mention the time it would take out of our trip to go the full long way around."

"I think we'd hit the mountains eventually, even if we got slightly off of the southern heading," Trinil said. "It might take a little longer if we stray off of the straight path, but we'll eventually get to _some_ edge of the forest, and if we start out going south, the most likely edge to hit is the southern one. That or the eastern one, but that actually makes it easier to find the southern one. I don't see where we could go wrong."

"That only leaves the monsters," Ryu said.

"Bring 'em on," Trinil grinned.

So the party ventured, as best as they could figure it, due south into the trees. It was not long before they were hassled by monsters, but they kept a wary eye on their surroundings when they were attacked. They managed to keep a bead on their direction even as they were forced to circle, parry, slash and cast their way through multiple adversaries. At least one of them managed to point out the right way to go each time that they were stopped by one of the local monster population, which had not changed since the previous day.

It was nearly impossible to determine how much time was passing when they were beneath the canopy, as the light seemed to never change beneath the ceiling of leaves. Ryu had tried to keep a rough track of time, but he had lost it pretty quickly. So it was that Ryu had no idea how long it had been when the party spotted what was obviously the path in the distance. Ryu smiled. "I see the path."

"I see it too," Nina said, though her visage was more worried.

"What is it?" Trinil asked her.

"Well, when we were on the path the last time, stepping off of it launched us a significant distance away," Nina explained to him as she regarded the path with dubious eyes and chewed lip. "I'm not sure it's a good idea to try to cross it."

Ryu had to agree. "Yeah. I think you're on to something there… best I can think of is to follow the path. It might let us step onto it, but not off of it. Or maybe it would recognize that we're attempting a direct route?" He let out a frustrated sigh, which Nina echoed. Trinil merely shrugged. "Safest to walk beside it, I think. The trouble though is that we don't know whether this part of the path is a part that leads _away_ from the pass, or _toward_ it."

"_You should follow the path_."

There was a beat of silence. "Who said that?" Ryu asked.

"_The path is the way to go_."

"I didn't hear anything, Ryu," Nina said, turning to him, now concerned. "Do you hear something?" Then her eyes widened as she remembered the warning that Lance had given them before they had entered the forest at all. _Don't listen to voices, don't leave the path._ "Ryu, if you're hearing voices, they're lying to you."

"But… they're telling me _to_ follow the path…"

"_The path is the only safe place to go. You should get on the path_."

_Don't leave the path_. "But we _left_ the path," Nina argued. "Lance told us not to _leave_ it, but he didn't tell us anything about getting back on it. And he _did_ say to not listen to the voices." Her worry was rising, and she felt that it would be a good idea to grab Ryu's arm. He turned to look at her with mildly empty eyes. "Snap out of it, Ryu!" she yelled at him, starting to get more desperate.

**Whack**. Trinil had smacked Ryu on the top of his head with his staff, which made Ryu shake his head, and, to Nina's relief, restored the light in his eyes. He blinked, shaking his head more. "You're right, Nina, we need to not listen to the voices. So to do the opposite of following the path…"

"Not follow it," Trinil helpfully supplied.

Nina gave him a look that clearly said 'you're no help.'

"Yeah, but go against it?" Ryu prompted.

"I think we should walk across it," Nina said. "I think it's trying to lull us into a sense of security. That would mean feeling better 'cause we're on the path, but it would be going against the feeling of security if we tried to step off the path and keep going in the direction we're headed… which apparently the voices want to stop."

"That makes sense…" Ryu mused, "but it is a bit of a risk. What if the same path magic that threw you away the first time throws you across the forest again?"

"Well, for one, you'll go first."

"Ha ha. No, really."

"Well," Nina said, thinking a moment, before pounding her fist into her open palm. "We walk in a straight line. That should toss us out in a similar place, if we are actually grabbed by the magic and it works like we think it does."

Ryu nodded.

The party lined up, with Trinil in the lead, Nina in the middle and Ryu in the back, and walked straight at the path, which ran perpendicular to where they were, so they didn't have to adjust their angle much. Trinil stopped right before the path and took a deep breath. "Well, here goes nothing," he said, and he took the step forward onto the path.

Nothing strange happened.

The path wasn't quite wide enough to fit all of them, but Ryu was nearly on the path as Trinil stopped again at the other side and took another deep breath. "And now for the real test." This time he even closed his eyes before stepping off the path completely.

Nothing strange happened.

The rest of the party followed him, and all of them made it to the other side without any ill effects. Nina grinned happily and clapped to herself. Trinil scratched the back of his head, breathing a sigh of relief. Ryu smiled at his companions. "Well, that went well."

There was another long walk ahead of the party, but flush with success, Ryu didn't even care about his inability to determine the passing time. Nina and Trinil also had bounces in their steps that were easily noticeable. The whole party dispatched monsters quickly, still managing to keep their bearings on their intended direction regardless of the movements required to face down the animals and skeletons. Nina even wasn't scared of the skeletons.

Some indeterminate time later, Ryu heard a voice he recognized. "Hellooooo!" it called. Ryu stopped; Nina did as well, both of them cocking their heads to try to hear the voice on the wind. Trinil nearly ran into them.

"What are the two of you playing at?" he asked, his smile still on his face.

"Is that Lance?" Ryu asked Nina.

"Hellloooo! Princess? Ryu?"

Nina's smile got wider. "I do believe it is."

Both of them started forward, only to be held by their collars by the Woren standing behind them. Ryu turned back to face Trinil. "What gives?! That's one of the people we got separated from!"

"Yeah, Trinil!" Nina said scathingly. "We're not abandoning you, you should follow us!"

"I didn't hear anything," Trinil informed the younger two calmly.

This brought them up short. "I have a feeling that this is the voices again," Trinil continued, still not letting go of his hold on his companions' clothing. "We're going to have to keep good track on each other if they're capable of pretending to be people we know."

Ryu nodded slowly, while Nina shuddered. Figuring that his companions had been broken of the spell, Trinil let them go, though he was ready to grab either one if they made a break for it, neither one did. He relaxed, finally.

"_Hellooo?! Princess! Ryu!_"

Recognizing the voice for what it was made it fade away, echoing into nothingness within the minds of the two affected. Ryu took a deep breath to make his own mind seem more clear and looked ahead. "Let's move on," he said to the other two. "But keep your ears closed and keep close to each other. We can only trust our own voices right now, and if we get separated, we can't even trust that." Receiving nods from his companions, Ryu lead the way onward.

There were a few more encounters with monsters, but it seemed that the forest had decided to taunt them with an eerie silence after a while. This, of course, only made the party more wary of any voices that they may hear, which they began to listen for more carefully than they were listening for the shuffling sounds of approaching monsters. It was Nina that heard the next attack by the voices first, and the other two knew because she froze.

Instantly, the other two were next to her, holding on to her arms lightly, as to not hurt her, but ready in case she bolted. But she was frozen in place. "G-" she stuttered that sound a couple times before falling to silence. Trinil and Ryu looked at each other, but they weren't sure what they should do about the situation. "Grandfather…" Nina whispered, which caused the boys' heads to snap back toward the girl's vacant expression.

"We have to move forward," Trinil said. "Move forward… no matter what these people are… saying…" he trailed off, looking off in the distance. "Dammit. They're very good at this."

Ryu didn't understand the last comment until he heard his own voice attack. "_You gotta be better than that, young one!_" He cursed under his breath. Bunyan's voice, of all things.

Ryu nodded at Trinil, forcing himself to ignore the voice of his late mentor. "Forward, march. You too, Nina, we have to keep going, or the voices won't stop tormenting us."

Ryu wished later that he hadn't used the word 'tormenting', for it turned out to be accurate. The voices categorically went through everyone he knew. Bunyan, his father, the Elders, some of his childhood friends… With the splitting headache, he could only think about putting one foot in front of the other. There was nothing else to it. He couldn't even check on the others, though Nina now clasped his shirt as tightly as he had her arm, and he figured that Trinil was just as connected to her other side.

Ryu let out a vile curse aloud when the voices redoubled their attack, but he managed to keep moving forward. "_Ryu!_" his mother's voice called at him. "_Come here! I can show you where you need to go on your pilgrimage…_"

Nina whimpered. "Not Father, no… not father…"

Trinil let out a curse more vile than Ryu's. Then a gasp. "I see… light ahead! We're almost there!"

Ryu looked forward, and he could see that the trees broke up about fifty yards ahead. They were going to make it! He pressed on, trying to pull Nina along, though she seemed to have noticed too and had pressed forward with Ryu and Trinil. Then came the coup de grace.

"_Ryu… I've been waiting for you._"

"SARAH! NO! LADON CURSE THIS PLACE!"

He tripped on a tree root, falling… trying to catch himself, he only managed to land on his back instead of his stomach. He heard thumps beside him as the other two fell. He saw sky.

Ryu sat up. They were outside the forest. The voices were gone.

There was silence among the party until "If anyone suggests going back in there for any reason, I'm killing them," Trinil deadpanned.


	28. II:11: Over the Distant Sands

**Act II: Adolescence  
Chapter 11: Over the Distant Sands  
Party: Ryu, Nina, Trinil**

Not only were they outside the forest, they were also lying in the gap of the mountains that led down to the southern desert. It made for an odd image, as the mountains broke to rough terrain that had sand spread among the rocks and gave way to sand on the south side. The wall of trees that blocked the north side was the thing most out of place, and at that point, the party certainly agreed that the forest was out as a place they wanted to go.

The three rose, dusting themselves off from the fall before taking a look around. There didn't seem to be much in the way of a choice as to where to go, however, as the mountains looked pretty foreboding when looking for a place to start climbing. The fact that climbing them was unnecessary notwithstanding.

"Well, at least we found our way to the gap," Ryu said, wiping his brow.

"That may have been why the voices were so nasty at the end," Nina said. "They knew that we were heading directly toward the exit."

"That raises the question as to why they would want to keep us in the forest," Trinil pointed out.

"I don't want to know," Ryu replied. He took a step forward onto the rocky ground that separated the trees from the dunes. "We made it, and our destination is somewhere ahead."

"How are you going to find the central oasis?" Trinil asked. This piqued Nina's interest, as she hadn't discussed the next step with Ryu since the trip into the Tower. "It's kind of dangerous to wander around the desert without directions. We'd run out of water really quickly."

"I know where the nearest town is supposed to be," Nina said, gaining the attention of the boys. "We may be able to get some clue as to the best way to find the central oasis of the desert… why are we looking for it?"

"The next shrine," Ryu answered, "lies beneath the sands. Ladon told me that the people who lived at the central oasis knew where the shrine is. So that's where we have to go. Then, I imagine it will be finding our way to the port town that Lance was talking about that's run by Manillo Ascents. That's where we'll likely be able to meet up with any of the Agents who remained behind." He looked out at the expanse of sand. "I don't exactly blame them for not waiting here."

"Nor do I," Nina said. "It would be hard to camp here. And that's the only place that was mentioned as a place we're definitely going to go from here."

"And I need to hit up all the shrines, and we are not separating," Ryu said firmly. He didn't see that Nina grinned at this. "We should head toward the town you were talking about, Nina." By the time he turned around, she had schooled her face. "Lead the way."

"Of course."

It took the rest of the day and a little bit into the night to reach the town, though calling it a town was giving it a little too much credit. The monsters that inhabited the sands between the two places were scavengers and sand-movers. Thankfully, they met nothing bigger than them, and Trinil was able to notice when a mover was trying to sneak up on them. The most annoying thing they met were the scorpions, though a single blast from any of their magical spells was generally enough to take one down.

The 'town' was more of a gathering place of tents around a small oasis, which all three were glad to see given their thirst had started to nag at them. They hadn't quite run out of water but Ryu had made sure to ration it well just in case. Even when they were reasonably sure that they knew where they were going, they had to be careful about supplies in the less forgiving environment of Arad. Even in the forest they had been able to forage for food and there had been occasional streams to help with water. Not here; the pool beneath a pair of palms was a welcome sight.

The party was greeted as they approached the grouping of tents. "Hail, travelers!" There were three in the welcoming committee, and the center was the one that spoke. "Did you come through the forest?"

"We did," Ryu confirmed.

"Then I imagine some rest is most of what you need here, right now. You're welcome to stay as long as you'd like, as long as one of your party takes part of the night shift each night you're here."

"That seems fair," Ryu agreed, and the party was ushered into the perimeter of the settlement. Trinil remained with the watch to give the party's contribution to the watch for the nocturnal desert monsters. Nina and Ryu were shown to their tent, though they stopped by way of the water to drink first. Once inside, neither spoke. Bedrolls were unlimbered and climbed into. At some point Trinil joined them, but neither of the others noticed his entrance, being dead to the world.

It was late morning by the time that they all had awakened. It was about noon by the time that all of them had prepared for the day. Not that they were going to be doing anything much that day; they were going to wait until nightfall before departing. Nina made to sit by the oasis underneath one of the palms. Trinil seemed interested in finding a couple buddies that he had made overnight. Ryu went around seeking information about the central oasis.

He finally found it in an old man who functioned as the de facto leader of the town, though he had no title to speak of. "Yes, we occasionally get visitors from there as well as people seeking to go there. It's not terribly hard, though any three night journey across the desert could be defined as 'hard'.

"The easiest way to get there is to head due south for two nights, and then as close to southwest as you can on the third. Shortly _after_ sunrise you should spot the oasis. It's up to you as to whether you want to rest then, or press on to the oasis at that point. Since the journey is so long, you really can't afford to travel in the day more than an hour or so; it'll eat up your water supply like nothing else."

Ryu thanked him for his help and headed to the center of the oasis to sit by Nina. She smiled at him as he sat down. "Find what we needed?"

"Yeah," he replied, "it's not going to be an easy trip, though." He told her the way there. "It's not going to be all that much fun, rationing all of that water. Not to mention when we have to look for that port. Since it's obviously on the ocean, I doubt it'll be terribly hard to find, but…"

"We'll worry about that when we get to it," Nina said soothingly. "We can only handle one thing at a time. How about we worry about the three day trek to the center of the desert first?"

"Yeah," Ryu agreed. "Yeah."

The rest of the day passed quickly, with the party resting and even taking naps when they could in order to stay up as long as possible that evening. When dusk finally settled on them, they had packed all the food and water that they could manage to carry, and were poised at the edge of town. One of the makeshift guards was standing with them. "Good luck guys. Keep a good eye on your route!" They waved at him before setting out.

The dunes were higher, their feet sunk deeper into the sand, and the going was altogether harder in the desert south of the small encampment. The first night was plagued with a mild wind storm that would have been even more uncomfortable had Nina not been constantly casting spells to mitigate the effects. Namely, sand's ability to get _everywhere_ when blown around by the gusts. Because of her constant magic usage, Nina didn't use much magic when it came to the critters of the desert, but Ryu and Trinil easily picked up the slack.

It was much easier to keep on a straight course in the desert because of the rich view of an expansive array of stars, and Trinil had been taught the stars that could be used for determining direction. Even the winding nature of the dunes that forced their path to zigzag across the sand couldn't deter them from using Trinil's newfound knowledge of the stars to remain on the proper track.

Sunrise came more quickly that Ryu had anticipated, but he imagined that the time in the day-less forest had dulled his ability to determine the length of night. The new moon was not helping either. Regardless, camp was duly set up and a watch schedule determined for the daylight hours. Nothing happened throughout the day, and each watchman woke up their replacement with no news to report and everyone got a decent amount of sleep.

Thankfully, the whole party was feeling much more awake on the second night of travel southward. The second night was easier than the first, and even went by more quickly. The lack of another wind storm certainly helped, as Nina wasn't getting constantly tired out by the attempts to control the wind and sand. Since she was helping out against the monsters more, the other two weren't getting as tired fighting them. All in all, it made for quite the morale boost. "All right!" Nina said as the first rays of sunlight peeked over the eastern horizon. "Just the one more day!"

"Night, yeah," Trinil agreed. "Southwest next, right Ryu?"

"Right. Another day of sleep though. I'm certainly tired." They set up the tent quickly and used the same watch schedule as the previous day.

The third night of slogging through the desert illustrated that the trip was putting more of a toll on the party than they had been noticing. Nina gritted her teeth when casting some of her spells to keep the sand out of their clothes and packs. Ryu and Trinil were sometimes slow in their own spells to keep monsters at bay. All of them even had trouble putting one foot in front of the other, digging themselves out of the sand with each step. When sunrise came from somewhat behind them, the sight of their destination was enough to make them able to keep going after they normally would have stopped, but it did not put a spring in their step. They all but collapsed on the threshold of the camp, which seemed to be a more permanent settlement than the one up north.

While they were challenged by the guard on duty, he didn't seem all that upset at their appearance, since it was easy to determine that they weren't monsters. A moment of looking at them determined that they were Ascents, or at least Nina and Trinil were. Ryu's indications were a little more subtle, and the man made no reaction when he looked at Ryu. "Ascents here for the Temple?" he asked, "Wrong kind, but it's certainly happened before. You guys should get out of the sun, it's gonna get pretty nasty in an hour or two."

The Ascents thanked him and worked their way into the settlement. "Whew!" Trinil gasped once they were past the guard. "I'm glad that's over. I'm not looking forward to the return trip."

"Think about that later," Ryu said, exchanging a conspiratory wink with Nina. "Think about the Shrine that we need to get to now."

"The shrine _you_ need to get to," Trinil corrected.

"Oh come on," Nina said when Ryu sputtered indignantly. "You know you're curious to see other Temples than your own."

Trinil stopped, giving Nina a glare. A pause, and then, "Maybe."

Nina gave him a playful look. "You know you'd like to help just to see what the other priests are like. You've only really dealt with the ones that end up at the Lightning Shrine. Sad that they won't let us into the Shrine, but you can learn a lot from a priest that comes out to talk to you…"

Trinil had a slight blush as he looked away. "All right, all right, I was comin' anyway, you know."

"Yep!" Nina agreed as she turned back around to continue along the path to the tent labeled 'guests'. Ryu gave both of them perplexed looks, but none of them said anything else until they were in the guest tent, where a man was finishing up sheeting some mats on the floor. At the sound of their entrance, the man looked up at the Ascents.

"Ah, so we do indeed have guests this evening!" he said, wiping his hands and rising. "I had wondered when we would see Ascents. It has been quite a while since the last group was through here."

Ryu grinned wryly. "We've gathered."

"Well, I imagine that you'll want to rest yourselves before you head out… the Temple, right?" Ryu nodded mutely, while Nina and Trinil looked at the man oddly. The man chuckled, noticing the attention that he was getting. He leaned in conspiratorially. "You know that there aren't very many good reasons to come out here. Just an oasis in the middle of the Arad desert held down by a few humans… and the Temple nearby. That's about it. So pardon me for making assumptions."

Ryu recovered his voice in time to arrest the man at the tent flap. "You know where the Temple is?"

The man chuckled, though he did not turn back around to face the Ascents. "Get some sleep. You must be exhausted." Then he left.

There was nothing for it. "He's right," Nina said, gently pushing Ryu towards the makeshift, but better than they'd had in quite a few nights, beds. "We need to be at our best. The Temples so far have been quite testing."

"Yeah…" Ryu agreed, though he still stared out the tent flap. "Yeah."


	29. II:12: Gods Beneath the Sand

**Act II: Adolescence  
Chapter 12: Gods Beneath the Sand  
Party: Ryu, Nina, Trinil**

Without needing to wake up for a watch, the party slept easily until shortly before sundown. Ryu was the first to rise, exiting the guest tent as quietly as he could. The fading light of the day wasn't nearly as harsh as the midday sun was, so we found the temperature to be quite pleasant when he first got out of the tent, though he immediately noticed that the air was cooling rapidly. It was difficult to like the weather patterns of the desert.

"So you're awake," came a voice form behind Ryu. He turned to regard the speaker, who happened to be the same man that had been setting up the tent for them the night… day… before. "All rested?"

"I feel much better, naturally."

"Good; it's not a difficult journey from here, but the Temple… well, have you been to any of the other Temples?"

"Yes, I have," Ryu replied succinctly.

"Then you know how they can be a chore in and of themselves, though in a much different way than a trek across a desert." Ryu did, and so he nodded. The man continued, turning away from Ryu to face back out toward the sun, which had been reduced to a mere glow on the horizon now. "There's a crypt a good hour's walk south of here. Inside there can be found the entrance to the Temple, though it's considered a rite of passage to find your own way to the entrance."

"You've been there?"

"Yes, I have," the man replied, turning to show a smile to Ryu. "I can promise that the entrance is indeed there, even if I don't tell you where it is."

"Fair enough," Ryu replied nodding. "Ladon does odd things like that sometimes."

The man raised his eyebrows. "You think he doesn't have a reason for what he does?"

Ryu raised an eyebrow. "I don't doubt he does. It's just never one that makes sense to us lowly mortals, sadly."

The man laughed. "Too true!"

"Thank you for your help, um…"

"I'm Harvey," the man said, inclining his head slightly. He turned and made his way off to wherever he needed to be going.

"Nice to meet you, Harvey!" Ryu called after him after a moment. Then he shook his head. Crazy. He stretched upwards, noticing that the only remnants of the sun's path across the sky were some light blues and violets on the western horizon. It made for a rather gorgeous sight, and Ryu looked at it smiling. The sky was one thing that he certainly appreciated during this trip through the desert. The lack of it while in the forest probably was the main reason for this, but Ryu thought that the sky was something that the desert had going for it, given that the horizon continued nearly unbroken on all sides. The only place he thought it might be better is on the ocean.

And he may even get to see that sight before he was all through, as well. He breathed a contented sigh.

"It's not over yet," came Nina's voice from behind him. "Don't relax too much."

"You have to enjoy it as it comes," Ryu replied, not looking as Nina stood beside him to watch the last of the blues vanish and the purples continue to fade.

"Hey, he's learning," Nina giggled, nudging him gently. "I'm glad you aren't being too morose about all of this. The hard part's over."

Ryu winced. "That's always a dangerous thing to say." He did turn to look at her now, the pretty purples becoming harder and harder to see. "I'm hoping the Agents are waiting for us when we get to the port town… and I hope that the port town is easy to find."

Nina smiled at him. "It'll be fine, really. The next step is the Temple and Shrine. Do you know how to get there yet?"

"Yeah," Ryu replied. "That man, Harvey, told me. Once Trinil's up and we've refilled our waterskins, we can head out."

Nina nodded. "Alright, I'll go take care of the waterskins and check our supplies. If I come back before Trinil wakes up, we get to wake him."

Ryu chuckled. "Fine; don't hurry, though."

Nina giggled as she set off behind him.

It was only about a minute later that Ryu noticed Trinil coming out of their tent, yawning. "Hey, sleepyhead!" Ryu greeted him, earning a disgruntled look from the Woren. "You ready to take on the Temple?"

"Give me a minute, will you? I just woke up." And he wandered off. Ryu looked back at the sky, which now didn't really have much to look at anymore, so he returned to the tent to help Nina pack up the stuff. She had a fairly smug look on her face, but Ryu didn't ask what that was about.

About fifteen minutes later they were all set to go, and they set out to the south with the well-wishes of the watch. It was a quick jaunt compared to the other treks across the desert that they had both behind and in front of them. It was even shorter than they thought it was going to be, as they nearly stumbled into the crypt, as it was hidden behind a dune. Finding the entrance was easy, though, once they knew that the building was there in the first place.

The inside of the crypt was a single vast room, filled with sarcophagi that were lined up in neat rows and columns across the floor. They were made of the same stone that the walls were made of, creating a uniform appearance. Even after circling the room twice and splitting up to look around, the party could not find any other features to the room. Ryu regarded the sarcophagi warily and cringed visibly. "I don't like this."

"Don't like what?" Trinil asked, inspecting a crack in the wall in one of the corners of the large room.

"I don't like the idea of opening up these caskets."

Nina shuddered.

Trinil rose and turned to regard his companions. "I don't think we have much of a choice in the matter. I think the key to the entrance to the temple has to be in one of these… things. There's no way around opening a few of them. Hopefully we'll get the right one on the first try, but…"

Ryu sighed. "Help me with the lids, then, Trinil? Nina?" Trinil nodded calmly, and Nina followed suit, if reluctantly. They gathered around the sarcophagus in the corner of the room where Trinil was and lifted the lid to find… an empty casket. "Odd," Ryu mused, searching through the thing with his hands. It was featureless, and his hands found no interesting marks or niches. "I thought there was going to be a body. Or bones. Or at least, you know, _something_."

"It's better this way," Nina stated forcefully.

"Not gonna disagree," Trinil said. "Next one, then?"

They eventually had to open about half of the caskets. The sarcophagus on the far right side of the row just closer to the door than the center row contained nothing as well, but it also had no bottom… and the blackness extended beyond the party's sight. Ryu cast a spell of light and lowered his glowing sphere into the inky blackness. It seemed to reveal nothing for a good three or four paces, then it suddenly was illuminating the floor, which seemed to be covered in green roots.

"Plant life?" Ryu said, confused. "Aren't we in the desert?"

"We're dealing with the Gods," Trinil reminded him. "There are a lot of things that don't make sense when the Gods put their hands into events."

Ryu couldn't argue with that. "Nina? Could you do the honor of going first?"

Nina was silent for a moment. "If your light goes out while I'm still the only one down there, I will kill you."

"It won't," Ryu assured her. He cast another two spheres and put them down into the casket's abyss so that Nina could better see what kind of room she had to maneuver herself downward with her wings. She gave one more look at Ryu, then launched herself carefully but quickly through the gap. She managed to hover in the darkness for a moment before touching down lightly on the roots. When she did, an unearthly green glow overpowered Ryu's light spheres. Aware of Nina's warning, Ryu left his lights on as he leaned down to look at the revealed cave.

"It's a soft landing," Nina informed him. She seemed to be breathing hard. "I don't think you have anything to worry about if you hang from the edge of the casket and let yourself down. I'll help you out."

Nina cast a wind spell that allowed both Ryu and Trinil to drop down into the lower chamber and roll upon landing to not be hurt by the fall. Once they were all down there, Ryu and Trinil joined Nina in looking around the chamber. There was one exit to the chamber in the same direction as the exit was for the crypt above them, but the exit was to a winding corridor, lit by the same green roots that were glowing throughout the chamber.

"Wow," Trinil said, looking around. "Can't say I was expecting this."

"Extensive plant life in the middle of the desert," Nina said, shaking her head as she stared around at the walls. "Go figure."

"I imagine there's more to see down here," Ryu said, peering at the corridor that wound out of sight. "Shall we?"

The three Ascents moved into the corridor and followed it into another room. The roots were everywhere and their glow was bright enough to make them think they were lit by sunlight. "How are all these plants here without sun?" Ryu wondered aloud.

"We didn't see any growths outside that could support a root network at all, much less one this vast," Nina said.

The room had only one other exit, so the party continued into another winding corridor that spat them into another room, this time there were a pair of plant-like monsters inhabiting the room, and they were hostile. They didn't pose too much of an issue to the Ascents, but the attack made them wary. "For a moment," Trinil informed his companions, "I hoped that there wouldn't be any of those in here." This room also had only one other exit, and the party continued on the very linear path.

There were several more rooms and several more corridors connecting them. The corridors, Ryu noticed, seemed like they were _just_ big enough for a tall person to walk in. The rooms generally had some sort of very thick roots at the center of the ceiling, and the roots mostly seemed to come from there. Ryu certainly didn't know what to make of it, but it did make for some interesting and beautiful sights.

Eventually, they came to a room with a giant plant that took up a good portion of said room. Upon a closer inspection, it seemed that this plant was connected to the root system. "Do you think that's the source of all this?" Ryu asked.

"It's far too small," Trinil said. He jumped when the plant moved. It seemed to… regard the party for a moment. Then one of the buds opened and sprayed something out toward Nina, who dodged nimbly to the side.

"I don't think it's friendly," Nina informed the boys unnecessarily.

All three drew their weapons and shifted into combat stances, warily watching the large moving plant that was blocking the exit of the room that was their destination. The plant fired more spores at Nina, but she was able to get out of the way in time. While the plant seemed to have a singular focus on Nina, this allowed Ryu and Trinil to get close. Ryu sliced off one of the larger buds, making sure that it could not release spores as well. This caused the plant's attention to turn to him, and he found himself with a face-full of spores before he could react. Coughing, he withdrew, unable to see clearly.

Trinil didn't have a cutting weapon, but he fired bolts of electricity into buds, which made each one that he hit shrivel and blacken. Taking this as a good sign, Trinil continued, trying to make each of the buds that hadn't opened yet unable to. His accuracy suffered because the plant was moving far too quickly for him to keep a good bead on his targets, but he did well enough for the plant to turn attention to him as Ryu withdrew. He dodged away, trying to avoid the same fate as Ryu.

"_Purify!_" Ryu called, casting a healing spell on himself, hoping that the incredible pressure in his head would ease, and he found that it did.

"_Heal!_" Nina called, and Ryu felt completely refreshed. He sheathed his sword and charged his power. He glowed red for a moment.

A bright white light blinded all of the combatants for a moment, and then Ryu was suddenly the fire dragon. Seeing this change, both Nina and Trinil disengaged from the plant to give Ryu a clear shot. Ryu exhaled a blast of extremely potent fire from his mouth, which consumed the plant completely. Or at least, it seemed to. When Ryu was done, the plant still stood there, though it certainly looked the worse for wear. It folded something that was on the side facing away from the party over so that it was now facing them… a _giant_ bud. Before they could react, it opened, revealing a flower that was just as big as the rest of the plant. And more menacing.

It caught them staring, blasting spores throughout the room, making it very difficult to dodge. None of them took a face-full, but Nina and Trinil's eyes were watering. Nina immediately disappeared in a flash of light, the little bird that she became fluttering out of sight before the light had completely faded. The winds that began to flow through the room were collecting a majority of the spores in a corner of the room. There was also now a general sustained flow of air from the entrance of the room toward the giant plant. Trinil caught Ryu's eye.

"Let's do it again!" Trinil called, grinning predatorily. Ryu expended more magical energy, creating a ring of fire around Trinil. "_Firebolt!_" Collecting the fire and adding his own magic, Trinil let the creation fly. The bolt of magic struck true, directly in the center of the giant blossom. There was a screech of pain, though it has difficult to determine where the screech was coming from on the plant. It shriveled up, which made another grating sound and it turned to a blackened husk.

Ryu and Nina returned to their normal forms, watching the remains of the giant plant warily. Trinil didn't move from his ready stance. Several beats of silence and stillness passed. Trinil was the first to relax. "I think it's dead." He poked it with his staff. It didn't move so much as break into two pieces.

Ryu and Nina took this as confirmation that it was safe, and relaxed as well. The plant was no longer blocking the exit of the room, but there wasn't much of a corridor beyond the opening. The grey metal door made a stark contrast to the deep green and brown of the roots that surrounded it. The symbol in the center was brown soil with a single powerfully green shoot.

"Found it!" Nina said brightly. The three Ascents approached the door, but it opened long before they reached it. Out came a female priest with a kind smile on her face.

"Well done," she said softly. "I apologize, but…"

"Trinil and I can't come in," Nina interrupted teasingly. "Yes, we know."

Trinil put his hands on his hips. "I'm not yet used to being denied entrance to the Shrine, you know."

Nina giggled and stuck her tongue out at him. "Get used to it."

Ryu managed, barely, to refrain from rolling his eyes at his companions as he stepped forward. When he was next to the priest, he said quietly, "Keeping them company?"

The priest raised her eyebrows as she responded just as quietly. "Why, are you afraid they'll hurt each other?"

"No…" Ryu replied, "I want to make sure that they don't get bored enough to hurt me when I'm unconscious."

The priest shook her head, smiling. "Oh all right." She walked toward the other two Ascents, leaving Ryu to catch the door. As he was about to move through the portal, his attention was called back. "You know," the priest said, "I would have done that even had you not asked."

"I needed to ask," Ryu said lightly, and then the door was closed between him and his companions.

Another female priest stood in front of the dais with a look of approval on her face. On the dais were two figures. One was easily recognizable as Ladon, while the other had a green tint. Gaia wasn't wearing the robes that the other Gods seemed to favor, but was instead was wearing something that looked distinctly plant-like, though the green was not limited to this part of her. She was frowning, while Ladon was smiling gently.

"Who enters Gaia's Shrine?"

"I do; Ryu Gensu of the Dragon Clan."

"Welcome, Ryu Gensu to the test of Earth," the priest said. "…but there are no set speeches or rites to handle our situation."

"Which we should probably change," Ladon said thoughtfully. "This is the second time it's happened to Ryu alone." Gaia laughed demurely while the priest looked scandalized.

"And he's on his _third_ test?" the priest asked Ladon, no longer facing Ryu.

"Yes," Ladon replied before looking above the priest to regard Ryu. "I must apologize for such hang ups, Ryu, but just like last time, Gaia and I have designed a test for you that will take an adequate measure of your skills."

Gaia had a disapproving look, but her voice was soothing. "I don't know where your originally planned partner went, but he is not here now. And thus, cannot be a part of this test."

Ryu was confused. "He hasn't prayed to you?"

"We're not here to discuss it; I'll handle my wayward disciple," Gaia reprimanded Ryu. "You are here to take an examination."

"The Water of Life is probably necessary for your success," the priest said as she walked away from the dais. Ryu drank from the basin and felt completely refreshed. He then walked forward to the edge of the dais.

"Step forth, warrior, and face your test," Gaia said softly, but with an undercurrent of steel. As Ryu stepped onto the dais, Ladon and Gaia faded into a white light. The light coalesced into a giant dragon. One of the more famous dragon forms, the Behemoth had a distinctive look. Four stubby legs, a round body, spikes sticking out of the main body as well as a pair of giant horns on its head. Oh, and enormous.

Ryu was all the way across the dais, but he was still basically craning his neck to see his whole adversary. "Aw, crap." He wasted no more time, transforming into the fire-based Wyvern form, then immediately having to dodge and roll to the right to avoid the breath weapon unleashed by the Behemoth. The Wyvern was agile, something that the Behemoth definitely wasn't, so the speed advantage was easily Ryu's, though there was a power discrepancy.

Ryu kept moving, dodging quickly and darting in to strike at weak points in the Behemoth's defense when he could. It didn't seem like he was making much in the way of progress, but the Behemoth complained aloud with each strike, so Ryu kept at it. He unleashed his breath attack. He powered his claws with powerful flames. He cast searing fire magic. He bit, he tore and he slashed his way through skin wherever he could find the opening to do so. He was finally making progress when he ran low on energy.

Being forced from an Ascended form was not a fun experience. Being shunted sideways through your own body into another. Crying out in pain, Ryu flew across the dais. He was barely able to land without hurting himself, rising quickly so that the Behemoth couldn't take advantage of his weakness. He quickly drew his sword and held it in a guard position. The breath attack hit him squarely, but he managed through it. Tossing a vitamin in his mouth, he charged, using his speed advantage to manage more strikes at places that his Wyvern form had already broken through the thick hide of the Behemoth. Ryu's normal form was much smaller than the Wyvern. Though the Wyvern had more speed, Ryu's size enabled him to dodge just about as easily as the more clunky dragon form did.

Ryu was just about out of energy; he was leaning on his sword and taking a breather as the Behemoth struggled to turn around to unleash another breath attack. He knew that another one of those would do him in. One last ditch effort was probably all he had in him. Lifting his sword, he ran straight toward the beast, who attempted to exhale sandy death at him. Ryu leapt over the danger cleanly, landing on the Behemoth's head, where he merely bounced. His destination was the center of the dragon's back. Crying out, he slammed his sword into a gash that he had made earlier, as deep as he could. The dragon roared and shook with the pain, throwing Ryu clear.

Ryu hit the ground hard, but not quite hard enough that he was knocked out from the blow. It was a near thing though, he struggled to rise, and only getting partially there before falling back to defend himself against the bright light that was suddenly with him on the dais. Then the Behemoth was gone, and Gaia and Ladon's figures shimmered back into sight. "Well done, Ryu."

Ryu didn't respond, merely staring back at Ladon, who chuckled. "Not an easy test, sure, but you passed. You will find the next shrine with the help of those you already know to seek. I will see you then."

"And you have earned my power, young man," Gaia said warmly, spreading her arms and being encompassed in a tan light.

Just as the light made up the entirety of his vision, mere moments before he passed out, Ryu murmured.

"Goodnight…"


	30. II:Interlude: Nowhere I've Been Before

**Act II: Adolescence  
Interlude: Nowhere I've Been Before**

A busy lane in a crowded city; there were many such places in the capital of the southern half of the continent. Despite being a mere shadow of its former self, the Old City still managed to bring in people from miles around for all kinds of reasons. The palace, newly-completed, stood proudly at the end of the main street through the center of the city… the part of the city that was still used, that is. Vast portions of the city were abandoned to monsters, held back by thick walls and a heavy rotation of guards. There, the buildings were crumbling, including the old Imperial Palace. The remaining city had been preserved, however, and the stark contrast between the dark gray of those buildings that hadn't been kept up and the clean stone of the lived-in part of the city drew a line that cut the city down to less than half of its legendary size.

It was easy to lose oneself in a crowd like the one that milled through the streets and alleys at midday. From the child crying near an apple merchant's stall for his mother to an old woman with fiery red hair that shuffled slowly down the street and was passed by annoyed younger city-goers, there were all kinds of people in the crowd. The apple merchant continued to watch his wares, perhaps unaware of the predicament the small child was having nearby. Even as the child was swooped up by his mother, he could pay no heed, forced instead to make sure his wares were not taken from him without compensation. Meanwhile, no one paid any attention to the old woman.

This was how she preferred it, however.

Being generally ignored was what let her seem completely normal to the other city-goers, for they would not have considered her normal with any sort of scrutiny. While the fiery red hair wasn't too terribly off-putting, if rare, it was not what she didn't want just anyone to see. No, her eye color was what she didn't want people to notice about her. Eyes down, her shuffling gait and her old woman's appearance would cause others to be momentarily annoyed with her, but end up ignoring the one thing about her that she didn't know if she could let them know.

She was not one of them. One look at her orange eyes would tell them this. None did, however. She made it easily back to the Inn that she had a room at. Several hundred zenny richer too. She had enough money to buy more supplies and move on now. If her partner had any luck in her own money-making task, they would be that much closer to getting back to the other continent. Where her home was… they'd worry about her partner's home when they were in places that they could travel freely.

She slipped past the proprietor, who was discreet enough to not ask any untoward questions about his guests when they paid double his asking price. Up the stairs and down to the fourth room on the right, where she unlocked the door and stepped in. Only after closing it behind her did she lower her hood and look at the figure on the bed. The blue haired young woman looked back at her and smiled slightly. She hadn't smiled widely enough to reach her eyes in the entire time that Emily had known her.

"How did you do, Emily?" the girl asked, rising and stretching.

"I did really well," she replied. "Being in this form helped a lot to convince them that what I was selling was genuine, I think."

Jenny laughed. "Young and pretty and they buy it because they want to get in your favor. Old and wizened and it's because they think it'll actually work."

Emily shrugged. "You use what works." She sat down gently on the bed. "How about you?"

"I guess I did alright," Jenny said. "I could probably have done better if I was more willing to flirt, but it's a little hard when I'm making up things as I go about my own life. Makes me second guess every fact I come up with off the cuff."

"Still no luck on the memories?"

"Very little… I'm becoming more and more convinced that I belong on the other main continent, like you. I mean, it's possible that I'm from some far out of the way place around here, but at least over there I'd be with you."

Emily smiled and nodded. There was no way she was going to leave 'Jenny' unless she was absolutely sure that Jenny would be happy in the place where she was left. She'd prefer it if she helped get her memories back, too. "Well, we should easily have enough money to get to the coast, now. And maybe even enough left over for passage."

"When should we leave?"

"Tomorrow; I'll probably burn tonight –" Emily paused sympathetically as Jenny shuddered – "And I'll be as vigorous as you in the morning. Then we'll be able to make good time. I wouldn't be able to keep up very well at this stage."

"You're probably right," Jenny agreed. "I do wish you didn't have to do that, though."

"You _could_ sleep through it, you know."

"If it didn't figure into my nightmares of… that place… maybe I would be better about it."

"I'm sorry…" Emily apologized again, even though she had done so many times by this point. "I had lost control over my body because of what… what they did."

"I know. I just… I just wish you didn't have to do it."

"You're the girl with the sleep spell. Please cast it this time… I'd really like to not have to worry about you while I'm, you know, burning."

Jenny chuckled, though not with much mirth. "I know. You're sure it doesn't hurt you?"

Emily now smiled warmly. "Yes. This one will be the first true burning since we left the facility… I'm actually looking forward to it." And she was. The burning of the Phoenix Clan was something that restored various aspects of their body and mind that would take years to heal otherwise. Afterwards she would feel refreshed, energetic and powerful. The experiments that had been done on her in the facility that she and Jenny had escaped from had caused her burning to become impossible to control and ineffective at its job. She wasn't really sure how she had survived the experience, but she wasn't questioning her luck.

Jenny blew out a sigh. "It's not that I don't believe you, or anything…"

"It's that you worry about it. I know."

"And this will be the first one that will be fully under your control since… we met?"

"Yes." Emily chuckled. "I can't wait. I can actually control how I look again."

"How old do you want to look?" Jenny asked.

"Somewhere between your age and late thirties," Emily replied. "I want to be in the prime area of life, though old enough for people to take me seriously. They'd be very surprised if I ever told them how old I _actually_ am."

Jenny chuckled. "I certainly was."

Emily looked out the one window of the room. It faced away from the setting sun, but the reaching orange and red rays were somewhat visible above the skyline of the occupied portion of the city. "I'll have to cast quite a few spells to keep things under control. Be a shame to burn down an inn when we've been doing so well at keeping ourselves hidden."

She turned back to face Jenny. "But I've done all that before, when I needed to burn while I was somewhere that humans would… ah… take offense."

Jenny nodded. "I trust you."

Those three words were words that the two women would only say to each other. If there was anyone that had earned Emily's trust, it was Jenny, and vice versa. Emily had almost recovered completely from her ordeal… nearly a year ago now. Jenny had recovered in body, as best as either of them could tell, but her memories continued to elude her. As Emily began preparing for the night's burning, she resolved once again that she and Jenny would succeed in unlocking the memories that she had lost in the ordeals that the two of them had gone through in the facility.

It was the least she could do, after all.


	31. II:13: From the Dunes to the Waves

**Act II: Adolescence  
Chapter 13: From the Dunes to the Waves  
Party: Ryu, Nina, Trinil**

When Ryu awoke, he could tell that he was in a tent. He sat up slowly, trying to get a better idea of what was going on. Reddish rays entered the tent from the flap, indicating that it was either sunset or sunrise, though Ryu didn't know enough to figure out which. No one was in the tent with him, though he could hear sounds of activity outside. He rose, shook his head to clear it, and walked outside.

Nina was just outside, watching the sun dip lower and lower on the horizon, though she spared him a smiling glance as he let the tent flap fall. They were in the cluster of tents that were surrounding the central oasis of the desert. He walked out to join her in her vigil. "Where's Trinil?"

"Got antsy; went for a walk around the oasis."

"How did we get here?"

"The priests," Nina answered, shaking her head. "Teleport magic. They said that I could learn, but I couldn't learn it from them. But I keep asking."

"So we get teleported out each time?" Ryu asked.

Nina looked at him disbelievingly, then laughed. "Oh, you wouldn't know! Yes, they teleport you and your companions out so that we don't have to deal with the monster-infested Temple again. But you're always zonked out for several hours, at the least, so you weren't ever awake for it." She shook her head again. "It has to be the strangest feeling."

"I believe it." Ryu thought that he'd rather not ever find out, if he could help it. "You both ready to get out of here?"

"Get me away from this sand as soon as possible," Nina replied drolly.

"Alright. Go fetch Trinil and tell him I'm moving about and we're leaving soon? I need to talk to Harvey."

"Okay," Nina acknowledged. "Be quick; we don't want to waste too much of the darkness here."

Ryu nodded in reply and Nina set off in search of their wayward companion. Ryu didn't have to search at all for the person that he wanted to see, however, as Harvey was approaching him from the opposite side. "I see that everything went well in the Shrine?"

"Yes, and thank you for your help in finding the Temple."

Harvey waved Ryu's thanks away. "Don't mention it. Finding this oasis is quite enough of a test; can't have Dragons wandering the desert, not knowing where they were going. Of course," he added, scratching his chin, "normally they have Dragons who have already done the pilgrimage with them so that there's not nearly so much of a danger of them getting lost in the desert and dying of thirst."

Ryu sighed. "This hasn't exactly been a normal pilgrimage. And I did wonder whether you had a shortcut to get to the coastal town run by Manillo…"

Harvey raised his eyebrows. "_That's_ the clue Ladon gave you?"

"No," Ryu said, slightly confused. "I was told that the people I would want to seek anyway would be the ones that would help me find my next Temple. Nina and my escorts got separated in the Bleak Forest, and the only possible meeting point we can think of is that town, as it's the only one we talked about with them before we got separated."

Harvey nodded thoughtfully. "That makes sense. And yes, to answer your question, I know the shortest way to get there from here. Not an easy trek, being nearly five nights long and all, but I think we can get you all laden down with enough water and food to last it… barely."

Ryu blew out a breath. "Lovely. And how's the trek undertaken?"

"Go a little more west than north, but vaguely northwest until you hit the coast. It should take you four nights to reach. Follow the coast north for a little less than a fifth night and you should reach the town by dawn. When challenged… oh, just show them either of your companions. They're quite pleasant to Ascent visitors. And up close they'll be able to determine that you are one as well."

Ryu nodded. "Anything else?"

Harvey shook his head. "Only that you're in the clear once you reach the town. Manillo are merchants, and they keep that town well-stocked. You'll easily be able to go to Romero or Gant or wherever you planned on going from there."

Ryu smiled. "Thanks, Harvey. See you again."

"You may yet, young Dragon, you may yet. Farewell."

Ryu returned to the tent to find that all their belongings had already been packed by Trinil and Nina. Their supplies had become more and more sparse as their journey had been going, Ryu realized. Especially when he took into account that the Agents had carried most of the gear, though leaving enough for survival on the two Ascents. _Good thing they did_. Agents were pretty good at planning for eventualities. It probably had saved Nina's and his lives. "Probably take more water than we think we need. We're going to be five days on this journey."

"Five days?" Trinil said disbelievingly. "Isn't it three and change to get to the town near the gap?"

"I want to get to the town of Manillo as soon as possible; I want to get Nina back to the Castle not a day later than I have to and still get my pilgrimage done." Ryu slung his own pack over his shoulder and checked his waterskins. "We should probably take a few more waterskins with us. Just in case. Also, drink 'til you can't drink anymore. We definitely don't want to run out of water when we're out there."

They each got another waterskin each, drank until they sloshed about, and wished a farewell on the kind citizens of the oasis. Traveling over the dunes was precisely how they remembered it, from the monsters to the infernal breeze that picked up the second night. However, halfway through the third night the dunes gave way to bare rock, which allowed them to move more quickly, though it changed the monster population slightly. No longer were there monsters of pure sand coming after them, though the scorpions would attack in force on the harder ground. The wind also wasn't nearly as much of a factor, as it could no longer blow sand into their eyes, ears, mouths and clothing.

As the fourth night was starting to brighten along the horizon, the party reached the coastline. It was a rocky cliff, but it was a short drop to the water from where they were. "It's really too bad that it's all salt water," Nina said sadly. "We would definitely be in the clear if it were fresh water."

Ryu shrugged. "We still have plenty of water; we'll make it just fine."

"I still can't believe that that water down there would be bad for us to drink. Whoever heard of water that dehydrates you when drunk?" Trinil said, looking down at the water below.

Following the coastline north the next night was the easiest part of any of the trips that the party had taken through the desert. They didn't have to worry about getting turned around, and there was no sand being blown at them. They were taking care of the monsters with expert precision. All of them had gotten better with their fighting technique, having to depend on each other had also improved their ability to work together in fighting the monsters.

As they traveled north on that fifth night, the cliff to their left varied in the amount that it dropped to reach the water slightly up, then slightly down, then began to shrink gradually as they went along. The slight decline that they were taking made the steps easy to take on that night; so much so, that they nearly stumbled upon the Manillo guard instead of seeing him.

"Halt! Who approaches?" The Ascent challenged them. Manillo were the most obvious of all Ascents at first glance. Nina's wings were concealable. Even Trinil could get away with just showing his face in a dark cloak. Not so with Manillo: they had fish-like heads. How exactly they breathed air was a subject that was sometimes debated in the Wyndian Castle halls by idle scholars, though the prevailing theory among them was that they used magic. The Manillo in front of the party was armed with a trident and kept it pointing at Ryu steadily. He was blue-scaled, and looked entirely like an overgrown fish other than the webbed hands and webbed feet that were on lanky limbs that most fish did not have.

"We're Ascents," Ryu responded calmly, "A Wyndian, a Woren and a Dragon, seeking passage on a boat."

The Manillo lifted his trident to point it straight up. "I can tell you are what you say you are. Were you separated from a group of three humans in the Bleak Forest on the way here?"

Ryu and Nina exchanged an incredulous look of joy. "Yes, we were," Ryu assured the guard. "What happened to them?"

"The two men went on ahead on a boat. The woman was transported to Prima, where she is kept under guard, waiting for… you." The guard regarded them for a moment. "My partner has the sets of gills that you will need to breathe while he takes you to the city…"

"Is that them?" came a call from the other side of the small beachhead that the Manillo was obviously guarding.

The guard who had challenged the party looked mildly annoyed, but he answered back. "Yes, these are the Ascents that were with the humans."

The other Manillo was approaching at a trot. He was also a blue color, though a deeper blue than the other guard. He seemed to carry no weapon, but instead had a pack on his back that looked like was designed for traveling through water. His belly was a more grey color than blue. "And we thought that they'd come from the other side."

"That is the side that's closer to the forest, Rigen," the original guard pointed out.

Rigen laughed. "No wonder they took so long, then. They took the long way around!"

"Sort of," Ryu said. "It's more like we had to visit the Temples in the forest and desert before we could come here. I have to visit two more of the Temples before I'm done with my pilgrimage."

Rigen looked surprised, though it was difficult to tell how he gained this expression without eyebrows. "Oh ho ho! On the pilgrimage, young Dragon? Now that I look at you, you do seem the right age for it. I guess that means you'll be wanting to go to the Temple of Water while you're with us."

Nina let out a happy sound, while Trinil merely looked surprised. "Yes, I would, thank you," was all Ryu could say.

Rigen laughed. "All right. First stop, Prima, so that we can get your human friend out of safekeeping." He reached into his pack, rummaging for something.

While he was, Nina posed a question. "Sir, uh, Rigen, was it? Why is our friend under guard?"

Rigen apparently found what he was looking for, and drew out of the pack three odd contraptions. He looked at Nina. "I had hoped that I wouldn't have to explain such poor conversation topics to one as pretty as you," he sighed, making Nina blush slightly. "But she is your friend, and you deserve to know, if you'd like.

"She is a human, and humans are not in the best of relations with us Manillos lately. With all of the attacks on Ascents, the only two safe places for an Ascent to be is Wyndia and Prima. The Faerie Grove was attacked first, and the attacks spread out from Tuntar, as far as we can tell. We haven't heard anything from the Ascents who live on the western continent, but we don't think they're faring any better.

"We can't afford to let a human loose among us, even if she is a Wyndian Agent. In fact, it is only because they were Agents did we feel like it was a good idea to deal with them at all. I'm glad we did, given that you were in fact coming, but there are others who may not share my pragmatism about it."

Trinil was scowling. "The Woren nation is nomadic by nature, but I can assure you that they still roam the southern half of this continent."

The first guard nodded. "That is good news to hear. We had all thought that the three most defensible Ascent settlements would be safe, but since the fall of Ness… we've had to be more careful than ever. I imagine Wyndia is much the same."

Nina and Ryu nodded in near unison. "The defenses of the mountain pass have been shored up more and more in the past three years, but since the failed kidnapping attempt three years ago, we hadn't had another attack on our home soil…" Nina trailed off.

"We heard from the Agents about your latest predicament, Your Highness," Rigen said, bowing slightly. "Forgive us for not being too formal about it."

Nina shook her head. "Speak plainly and politely, and I think we'll get along quite well."

Rigen grinned. It was an odd image; a fish smiling. "Alright, then." He handed one of the contraptions to each of the party. "These are sets of gills that you can use to breathe underwater. You'll need them, as the one boat we have is currently ferrying your male friends across, or, if we're lucky, on the way back from doing so." Rigen showed them how to put on the contraptions while the three of them were standing in the shallows, so that they could put their face underwater and continue to breathe once they had gotten it right. It wasn't a difficult thing to use, however, and fairly quickly they had them on and were following Rigen deeper out into the open ocean.

The monsters that lived in the ocean were distinctly aquatic in nature. There were Dog Fish, ameblobs, hostile mermen-type creatures and a few others. All of them were very susceptible to Trinil's spells, but he had to keep a very close eye on his control in order to not shock his companions. Ryu debated being in his Zilant form, but decided against it for the time being. Nina spent most of her time healing, as her offensive spells and rapier weren't as effective as the rest of the party's.

Rigen fought with twin daggers, moving almost as fast as Trinil when he was in melee combat. He told the rest that he had the ability to turn into quite an array of aquatic creatures while they were under the surf, but there was no real need for that during this trip. As the party got closer and closer to Prima, the monsters became more and more sparse; Rigen said that this was because the Manillo in Prima liked to keep the area safe for their brethren. Ryu thought that this made a lot of sense.

Prima came into view pretty quickly, as swimming was much faster than walking along the ocean floor. The city was gorgeous. Tall spires of green glass rose from a bed of brightly colored seaweed. Some other spires in more blue-ish glass rose from the outskirts of the city, though not as high as the emerald towers. All of the glass reflected the sunlight that made it down to where the buildings were intermittently, giving the illusion of green underwater fire. It was quite the sight. The four Ascents were challenged on the outskirts of the city, but were waved on through once it was clear that they were Ascents and Rigen was escorting them. One of the guards grabbed a pack and swam out the way they came. "He's replacing me on guard duty," Rigen told the others.

Rigen led the rest of them to the second tallest tower of green glass, about halfway up. He led them inside where there was a Manillo doing something behind a small desk. On either side of the room were other doorways, blocked by red coral that looked both strong and very prickly. It probably hurt a lot to touch them. "Hullo, Haldia!" Rigen said brightly as they entered the room.

The Manillo behind the desk looked up at the newcomers. "Oh! Rigen! Are these the Ascents that the Agents told us about?" she, as the voice was definitely feminine, asked. Her scales were a pale red. Ryu idly wondered whether the Manillo's gender could be determined by the color of their scales.

"Yes," Rigen replied. "The Dragon's Ryu, the Woren's Trinil, and the Wyndian's Princess Nina."

Haldia bowed to the party each in turn, bowing lower to Nina when her rank was mentioned. "It is an honor. I imagine they're here to release the Agent that came here on their behalf?"

Rigen nodded. "If you please."

Haldia pushed something behind the desk, and the red coral covering the doorway to the party's left retreated to allow passage through. "She's in the fourth room down that way," Haldia told them.

Rigen thanked her and the party went down the hallway to the fourth 'room' down the hallway. Before they got there, they found that the fourth doorway was the only one that had the coral retreated from the opening already, and Leah's head was leaning out to regard her visitors. When she spotted Ryu, she swam toward them quickly. She spotted Nina on her way over, and switched targets, slamming into Nina with quite the force.

"Princess! You're alright!"

"Yes," Nina said, with some difficulty. "I am… but I won't be for very much longer if you don't lessen up on the squeezing a bit…"

Leah jumped back, obviously embarrassed about her outburst. "I'm sorry, Princess…"

But Nina was smiling. "I'm happy to see you too, Leah."

"As am I," Ryu added. "We have a lot to talk about, but it seems that the worst of it is over."

Leah glanced at Trinil, then back at Ryu with both eyebrows high. "I should say we do. What happened to you two after you left the path?"


	32. II:14: Tidal Caves

**Act II: Adolescence  
Chapter 14: Tidal Caves  
Party: Ryu, Nina, Trinil, Leah, Rigen**

With Leah duly filled in on the parts of the young Princess's misadventures away from her watchful eye, Ryu turned to Rigen. "And now we want to head to the Temple of Water, to get to Salacia's Shrine."

"That," Rigen said grandly, "I can certainly help you with." He looked around at the disparate group. "I imagine that all of us will be making the journey?"

"We're hardly separating if we don't have to," Nina stated primly. Leah looked like she had something she wanted to say, but was silenced with a quick look from her charge. "All four of us are coming with you."

"All the better to have two lovely ladies with us," Rigen said bowing. Both ladies in question blushed. Trinil looked completely unimpressed, while Ryu showed no outward reaction to the unnecessary flirting. "We'll eat our fill and rest a while before setting off. Maybe get you desert-minders closer to a daylight cycle again before we head out… not that day or night means much where we're going."

"It's that deep in the ocean?" Ryu asked.

"Not as such," Rigen replied slowly, looking for the right words, "it's more that the tides are what matter there. There're tidal caves beneath the cliffs that separate the ocean from Southern Wyndia. That's where we'll be headed. I want you all well rested before we go, though, as we'll be heading straight from there to Romero, as our lovely guest asked us." He indicated Leah. "I'll have the ship swing by and pick us up when we're done there, and we'll have a calm ride atop the waves to your final destination."

"When do we leave?" Leah asked.

"As soon as you all are ready, which will be no fewer than sixteen hours away from now. You must eat and rest and be fully yourselves before we leave, and that means all of you." Rigen looked at each of them in turn. "It's a far more difficult trip than the one we just took from the desert to the city, not to mention the Temple's own inherent dangers. And I imagine you all want to be back on a regular sleep cycle. So follow me and I'll show you to the rooms we have for you all."

He made to leave the room, but stopped suddenly, causing Trinil to bump into him. "Hey!"

"I almost forgot!" Rigen exclaimed, completely ignoring the insulted woren's outburst. "Agent Leah, you must stay with the Princess at all times. I doubt I actually need to tell you to do that, but that's the only way that the Guildmaster will let you walk around Prima freely."

"That won't be a problem," Leah assured.

"Excellent! On we go!" And with that, Rigen left the room. The rest of the party followed, Trinil with quite a few grumblings that were on the other side of polite. Rigen lead them out past the kind receptionist (who gave them all a fond farewell… it was odd, given that she was essentially the receptionist for a jail) and out of the tall tower. Swimming down, he led them down to the city streets.

While there were plenty of Manillo that were swimming around above the tops of the smaller structures, the real traffic was at the floor of the city. Many carried packages from structure to structure; a few were carrying packages from and to the surface, though Ryu couldn't tell whether there was anything up there other than sunlight. Every one of the Water Ascents had some place to be, and quickly. Rigen swam to a nondescript dwelling on the outskirts of the city, which was about the size of a house in a typical village on land. Rigen pulled aside the seaweed that served as a door and gestured them inside.

It was simply furnished, though odd, given that everything had to be completely waterproof. Blues and greens were rampant, as well as sea plant life converted into blankets and bedding. There were four beds laid out. Though it was a strange sight, it was also welcoming, especially after the forbidding desert where the only break was a tent that didn't always keep out the sand. Nina didn't even speak; she went straight for the bed on the end and fell into it, wrapping the bedding around her.

"Well, that's exactly the kind of thing I'd like you guys to be doing," Rigen said in a slightly admiring tone. "Food will be by in a few, but I think what you need more is sleep, so get yourselves some rest." With that, he left. Ryu and Trinil didn't waste any more time, getting themselves into two of the other beds and wrapping themselves in. Leah floated over to the remaining bed and remained alert. Being allowed to move around more than she had, she decided that she should stay up and make sure that no one bothered the Ascents returned to her care.

About two hours later, Leah had stretched herself a bit by swimming around the cottage and had returned to her spot on top of the only unoccupied bed. The seaweed door shook a moment. "Excuse me?" it was Rigen's voice.

"Enter," Leah said, just loud enough for Rigen to hear her. He did, bearing a tray of food.

"I know it's not a feast for you landwalkers," he apologized quietly, "but it's filling and strengthening, and you all need it. We'll have landwalker food on the boat when we get out of the Temple."

"I'm used to it by now," Leah admitted. "I have been eating it for a while now."

"That's true. I must apologize for holding you…"

Leah cut him off. "No. I know exactly why you did it, and accept that you must do what you must to protect your citizens. We've done similar before to protect Wyndia."

Rigen nodded. "Regardless, I personally doubt you would have done anything untoward were we to have let you stay here while you were waiting and let you wander the city as you saw fit."

"I may not have been who I claimed to be," Leah said. "You can't assume anything about the people who are… doing these terrible things."

Rigen sighed. "And you're right, of course." With that, he left.

* * *

The rest and food were exactly what Ryu needed. The second time he woke, he woke refreshed and only an hour or two before dawn… or so Rigen told him. The deep navy blue of the deep water made it difficult to tell. While sunlight could reach the bottom, it only really did around noon. All other times, the city was lit by green crystalline lanterns that were on every street corner as well as a few places higher in the city.

By the time dawn arrived, everyone was up and ready to go. Rigen made sure that everyone took some more food from the tray that he had already refilled three times while they had been staying there. Fresh water was easy to come by, though it was strange to drink water while in water. Ryu tried not to think about what he was doing too much. The gills seemed to take care of putting the correct liquid in the correct places.

The group of five left the city of Prima behind only after Rigen checked in with the Guildmaster in the tallest tower. Just a quick duck-in and duck-out for the Manillo and off the group went with their waterproof packs in tow and toward the north and east. Toward Wyndia, if in a slightly roundabout way.

Rigen hadn't been kidding about the difference in the monsters that haunted the area to the northeast of Prima. After the party had cleared the "safe zone", as Rigen called it, the monsters were on them fiercely and often. Poisonbugs were easy to dispatch, though they often got a hit in and made someone's life difficult until Ryu, Rigen or Nina could heal them. Giant crabs were much slower but much more hardy, and often were accompanied by a pair of Dogfish. The oddest monster definitely was the groups of monstrous seaweed, which liked to hide poisonbugs.

Of course, the extra pair of hands helped, especially with Leah's ease at the front of the pack. Leah could take the hits that most of the Ascents couldn't, allowing Trinil and Rigen to dart in and out of the fight with their speed. Ryu stood by Leah in the front, and Nina brought up the rear, giving mostly support. While no more than four of them could fight actively in tandem, the fifth person could often be useful in a supporting role.

It took half a day to get to the western coastline of the Eastern Continent. Rigen led them up to the surface, where he looked around above the waves for a moment or two before diving back down to speak to them. "Just to the north; keep your gills on until we get there." Receiving assents from each of the landwalkers, he turned and led the way north for only about ten minutes. "Here we are," he said, standing on a shelf that allowed easy climbing up into a cave that faced out to the open ocean. "When you can stand and have your head out of the water, hold your breath, remove the gills, and stand fully up and breathe normally."

Each of them managed the transition back to breathing air easily; only Trinil had any trouble at all, and Rigen was there quickly to fix the issue and make sure that the gills came off quickly enough for Trinil to take a more or less calm breath when he stood. The party walked together out of the water and up to where the stone floor was wet, but not covered in water.

"This is the Water Temple: The Tidal Caves," Rigen said, gesturing around to the dark cave. He produced one of the eerie green lanterns from Prima from his pack, which he lit with a hint of his magic. The thin stone paths wound through the space into the dark beyond, all above rushing water. "We got in just an hour before low tide. A little after I wanted to get here, but good enough. That gives us three hours to get in and out; before the paths will become far too slippery, anyway."

"Then we should get a move on," Leah said.

"Indeed!" Rigen shouted. "Forward!" Trinil could be heard grumbling in the back of the group, but Rigen started off too quickly for anyone to say anything about it; they all hurried to keep up with the Manillo.

The first area of the tidal caves was simply an exercise in not slipping on slick ground. Nina had been the first victim, but the ability to flap her way to safety made it a non-issue. After that, the rest of the landwalkers made sure that they had their gills ready just in case they needed to breathe water quickly. The party was able to carefully make its way across the winding slippery path and into the next chamber without any more mishaps.

The second area was a square room with entrances on each wall, but only two of them were above the water level. The water was moving quickly enough that it was difficult to even see into its depths and Rigen refused to go in. "It would take us straight out from where we came, and we'd have to start over." So they went across the room to the only other entrance that didn't require them to get any more wet.

This room had a pair of the giant crabs, which the party took out. Beyond the crabs' dead shells was a switch that Leah went over and pulled to one side. They felt a rumbling and then nothing. "Let's see if that did anything to the room with all the doors," Nina suggested, and the party returned through the doorway where they had come from.

Nina's suggestion had been a good one, as the water level was lower now, and they could walk down a ramp to get to another doorway, where they fought another set of water monsters before they could flip another switch to lower the water level once again. This pattern continued three more times before they reached the bottom of where the path went. The water still raged on beneath them, but there were no more doorways below them. They entered the doorway.

The party found themselves in a large cavernous room with water rushing below them. The paths were wider than the ones in the first area, but they seemed to be suspended from mid-air. Up and up they climbed the ramps. It was very tiring, and they began to slow after only five minutes of their ordeal. Leah, who had taken the position as back-guard, yelped suddenly. "Guys!"

The water had been rising with her. The party broke into a run, though Nina lifted off into the air, both to make it easier on herself and to not take up precious space on the path as the others ran for the top of the cavern. Suddenly, there was a doorway in the cavern wall instead of a turn to go further up. They all burst through it, looking back at the room, where the water slowed to a calm stop just below where the path went into the wall. There was a collective sigh of relief.

"Uh, guys?" Ryu said, making the rest of the party turn to face the other direction. Blocking the way to an obvious door to the Shrine was a giant frog.

"Take it out!" Trinil called, "_Jolt!_"

The lightning spell was extremely effective against the aquatic beast, and Ryu wasted no time Ascending into his Zilant form. Zilant charged the beast and got into a fierce melee. Leah also charged. Nina and Rigen hung back; Nina was casting Air spells to try to distract the beast, while Rigen was focused on making sure that the beast couldn't poison anyone for more than a few moments. The party kept its press relentless, and eventually the Frog exploded into goop.

"That was… difficult," Trinil remarked, shaking his head and making little droplets fall from his yellow hair. "Only one more temple after this one, right, Ryu?"

"That is correct, young Woren," came a voice from the door.

The party turned, though none of them were surprised to find a male priest standing there. "Rigen Wafian, you are the escort this time?"

"I am," Rigen answered. He clapped Ryu on the shoulder in a fatherlike way, making Ryu look up at him with his best _who do you think you are?_ look. "And this young man is on his Dragon pilgrimage."

"So he is," the priest replied. Turning to the rest of the party, he said, "I apologize, but you…"

"cannot come in," Nina, Trinil and Leah finished for him. "Right?"

The man gave a low chuckle. "Indeed. Now enter, young Dragon, and face your next test."

Joining Ladon on the dais this time was a figure wreathed in a deeper blue light than Ladon's. Salacia, the Goddess of Water, nodded her head to the newcomers into her Shrine. "Be welcome, Ryu, Son of Ladon. And welcome back, my child."

"My Lady," Rigen said formally, bowing at the waist.

"This brings us to your fourth test, Ryu," Ladon said, smiling, "and this time you will even have the partner that you were meant to have."

Ryu couldn't help but grin back. "I hope I measure up to your standards, my Lord."

The priest who had remained in the Shrine looked annoyed. "Who enters Salacia's Shrine?" he said, though he couldn't keep all of his grumpiness out of the tone.

"I do, Ryu Gensu of the Dragon Clan."

"I do, Rigen Wafian of the Manillo Clan."

The man turned to Ryu, still stony-faced. "Dragon Ryu, you are here to complete your Test of Water. Your partner will be Manillo Rigen. Is this acceptable?"

"It is."

He turned to Rigen. "Manillo Rigen, you are here as an escort to the Dragon Ryu. Is this acceptable?"

"It is."

"Then you may prepare. Drink of the Water of Life and be refreshed before your test. You will need all of your strength, willpower and stamina to face the trial that awaits you." After drinking of the Water of Life, the two Ascents stepped up to the dais. The priest stepped away, leaving each Ascent facing his God and Goddess.

"Ryu," Ladon said, more formally now, "this is your penultimate test of your journey before you return to Wyndia. This test will be harder than the one before it, but not as hard as your last one. I trust that you have grown powerful enough to pass, but do not disappoint me."

"Rigen," Salacia said quietly. "This is your last requirement for the award of the Sphere. I know you believe yourself long ready for this task. Do not underestimate it, for to fail is to wait even longer than you waited this time for your next chance." Rigen nodded solemnly.

"Step forward," Ladon intoned. "And begin your test."

As the Ascents stepped onto the dais, a bright white light flashed, and the Serpent dragon stood between them. The room shook, and began to fill with water. Ryu dodged an instant strike from the adversary and rolled to his feet. Rigen charged, daggers flashing with the reflected light from the rising water. Ryu transformed into Zilant, knowing that he probably didn't have much time before the whole room was full of water.

Serpent was able to slither quickly across the wet stone and was far too quick for Rigen to keep up with and he was thrown to the side with a whip from her tail. That gave Ryu all the time he needed though, and Zilant unleashed his lightning breath at Serpent, who let out a scream of pain. Rigen rose and cast a healing spell on himself, only to be smashed into the wall by the tail for his work before Serpent charged Ryu. The water had reached the point that Rigen was completely submerged when laying on the ground.

Ryu raked his claws across the face of Serpent as she approached to bite him, but she would not be stopped, and Ryu roared with the pain of the bite. He bit back and whipped the Dragon with his tail to get her off of him. It worked, though Ryu was already limping, and the water had reached the point that his moves were sluggish. He cast _Jolt_, just to keep Serpent on her toes. The water had now reached his claws.

Rigen disappeared in the bright white light and returned in the form of a piranha. Darting in faster than Ryu could even see, the piranha made several painful bits on Serpent before dodging out of the way of her tail whip counter attack. Ryu charged his claws with lightning energy before raking them across her scales again. Screaming, Serpent countered with a bite that Ryu managed to block, but now the water had gotten to the point that Ryu was floating.

Serpent dove into the water and came up to bite Ryu's hind legs. Ryu roared with the pain of it and another bright white light flashed. This time, Rigen had become a shark, which allowed him to deliver more devastating bites. The water level helped Serpent and Rigen's shark form equally, while it hurt Ryu's ability to move about. It also made it impossible to use his breath weapon, which would fry both Rigen and Serpent in one blow; he couldn't control it very finely.

Ryu had to settle with casts of _Jolt_ and _Bolt_, which he could control more accurately, but didn't have the raw power of his breath weapon. The shark and Serpent were having a fairly bloody battle beneath him as he continued to rise. Then the shark was hit with a particularly vicious bite from Serpent and he floated up toward Ryu. Ryu acted instantly, holding his breath and diving beneath the waves. He hadn't had all that much space left to breath air, anyway. He quickly interspersed himself between the shark and Serpent and fired his breath weapon at point-blank range. He held it until he could hold it no more. He was forced to breath in…

…only to find that he was standing on the dais in his human form and the water was gone from the room. The God and Goddess faded back into view, though Ryu's vision was clouding.

"Well done, both of you," Ladon said. "Ryu, you can't miss the location of your last test. There will be no hint."

"And congratulations, my son," Salacia said to Rigen. "You have truly earned the Sphere."

Ryu fell to his knees, his vision gone and hearing fading. "I do wish I didn't have to take these naps…"


	33. II:Interlude: Advocacy

**Act II: Adolescence  
Interlude: Advocacy**

If there was one thing Ephraim was afraid of, it was walking into the audience chamber of the Lonely Castle.

Not that an actual king sat there, anymore; at least, the man that ruled the Lonely Castle did not call himself King. Ephraim's fear was so great, however, that he found himself frozen even as far away as the drawbridge. The black-clad knights stood to either side of the opening that led into the courtyard. Last time Ephraim had reported here, the Castle had been in an uproar about a pair of escaped prisoners. _Witches_, they had been called. Two females who were armed with dangerous magic and considered serious threats to peace. They had somehow gotten past one of the dreaded Advocate Knights, an elite band of warriors that served the Lonely Castle's Master. Ever since, two had guarded its main gate instead of just one.

Neither of the Knights paid any mind to Ephraim; while he was not clad in the distinctive armor, he had been only a scant few years prior. He had been promoted for his capture of a particularly dangerous _witch_… one of the two that had escaped, as a matter of fact. He had been glad at the time that he hadn't been there to see his leader rage about at the loss. It was that little temper tantrum, and others like it, that made him a little hesitant to report to him now.

For Ephraim had failed him.

It was a first, but it was definitive: he had failed in his duty. A duty given to him directly by his leader. He had never failed as an Advocate Knight, but he now had as a Lieutenant Advocate. It was this that held him frozen on the wooden boards suspended over water by metal chains. It was this that held him frozen in the middle of the morning crowd of deliveries and messengers. But he was stronger than this… he forced himself to take the first step, and then another.

Once begun, it was easier to continue. He walked through the center of the two Knights, who both saluted as he passed. The various non-ranked that swarmed around him doing their jobs couldn't do much more than acknowledge him by staying out of his way. They were punished far more severely for lacking in their effort than they were for failing to perform a full bow to a mere Lieutenant Advocate. Ephraim didn't really mind so much. His mind was on other topics, and he couldn't care less whether the peasantry even noticed his passing.

His path was one that he had taken quite a few times; any Advocate Lieutenant could take it blindfolded from the drawbridge. Into the outer wall and immediately left to the southeast tower, where stairs could be taken into the bowels of the Castle. A few twisting hallways led underneath the large keep that stood in the center of the courtyard, where a large room, almost a cavern, waited for him. Along with the three Advocate Generals and… him.

Outside the door of the audience chamber stood two more Advocate Knights, though even those that could overpower the Advocate Knights would have serious trouble taking on the three Generals and their leader. All of them had their positions partially due to combat prowess, partially to magical enhancement of their abilities, and partially because they had been leading the Advocacy movement for as long as anyone could remember. Certainly as long as Ephraim had been a part of it. Both of the Knights saluted him. The one on the left spoke. "He is expecting you, sir." Not precisely encouraging words, but Ephraim tried to think of them in that light.

He pushed open the door into the dark chamber. It was lit only by several candles; the torches that lit the rest of the catacombs underneath the castle proper were absent. The table that was on the far side of the chamber was well lit, as well as where Ephraim was expected to stand as he reported. Everywhere else was encased in darkness. Even Ephraim, who had known the leader of the movement before he had started it, hadn't seen the man's face since joining. It was only that, only knowing what he was actually facing on the other side of the table, which gave him the ability to not show his fear in his face. He stopped walking, finally, when he made it to the spot. He knelt.

"Rise and report, Lieutenant." It was the Advocate Master's voice.

Ephraim did as he was told. "The extraction did not go as planned; the Agents had obviously planned something just in case there was to be trouble, and I intercepted the Princess on her escape route away from the Princess Guard. Unfortunately, she had Agents and a young boy with her… a young boy that I would swear is one of _them_." There was no need to mention aloud who he meant by _them_. "While the Agents were expected adversaries, the boy was not. I was… defeated, and the Princess escaped with the boy and the Agents. I do not believe very many of the Princess Guard survived."

There was a grunt from the right of where the command had come from. A deeper voice spoke now. "That makes twice. She has managed to elude our grasp twice now."

"Clearly we have been underestimating the Wyndians," a female voice came from the far left. "They have been collecting others… perhaps those that survived our purges. If they have been coming together, it will be more difficult to take them down."

"Do you know what type the boy was?" the leader asked.

"I… I think he was a Dragon, Advocate Master," Ephraim replied.

"Perhaps he was also the reason we lost Lieutenant Byrd in our previous attempt to get the Princess?" The woman again.

"It could be any number of things," the last voice. Gravelly and flat. "We can't assume that this boy had anything to do with it… how old was he?"

"He was about the age of the Princess, sir," Ephraim replied.

There was a short silence. "Lieutenant, you did well to report back; I do not think you were properly prepared to take on two Ascents and two Agents at the same time." Ephraim barely restrained his sigh of relief. He wasn't going to be the subject of the Master's temper! "I will dispatch some Knights to see if I can't get them before they enter Wyndia, though I'm not too hopeful about it, if they were able to take on our most powerful Lieutenant." Ephraim blinked at the compliment. "I believe that I can remedy this, however. You are particularly strong with Air magic, are you not, Lieutenant?"

"Yes, Advocate Master."

There was a dark chuckle from the shadows beyond the table. "Then I believe I know what we shall do with you, Advocate _Captain_," the Master said. Ephraim couldn't help but be pleased with the turn of events, as he saluted his superiors.

"Now, here's what I need from you…"


	34. II:15: On the Home Stretch

**Act II: Adolescence  
Chapter 15: On the Home Stretch  
Party: Ryu, Nina, Trinil, Leah, Rigen**

When Ryu came crawling back to consciousness, he immediately noticed that his balance was off. He noticed this by falling off the bed that he had been laid in, bringing most of the covers with him and causing a muffled but loud thump to reverberate through the wooden room he was in. Immediately, the one door opened, revealing Trinil. "Awake now, are you?"

Ryu only groaned in reply.

"While I thought you wouldn't take kindly to falling asleep on land and waking up at sea, I didn't really expect you to reject the idea quite so… violently."

Ryu opened his eyes and directed a glare at the Woren. "Are you done?"

Trinil grinned at him. "Not really, but that doesn't mean I can't help you up." He moved forward into the room to do just that. "I guess that's the payment for being the one of us who can use forms that have to do with all of the other elements. You also have to be the one who gets knocked around a bit." He chuckled to himself as he managed to untangle Ryu from the twisted bedsheets. "I heard from the fish that you took quite the beating in the Shrine this time."

Ryu began to brush himself off as Trinil returned the sheets to the bed from which they had come. "He'd be right. The tests only get harder and harder."

"Only one more, right?" Trinil asked as he straightened the bed, which was the bottom bunk in the middle of a set of three bunked beds.

"Yeah…" Ryu replied. "Just one more test. Though Ladon was sufficiently vague about telling me where it was. I'm pretty much on my own to find it this time."

"Shouldn't be awfully hard, though," Trinil said, "we've managed all of them so far; why shouldn't we be able to manage this one as well? And Ladon, so you say, has been planning this so that we can do it _and_ get the Princess back to Wyndia without going out of our way." He tugged a sheet one last time. Satisfied with his work, he stood up and turned around to face Ryu, who was still in a battle-ready stance to deal with the rocking of the floor below him. "I honestly can't see why you're worried."

"I had hints all the other times, you know."

"Yes, but isn't it obvious where each of these are? You told me the Temple of Fire was a volcano…"

"Yeah…"

"Then the Temple of Lightning's in a Tower legendary for being struck by said thing. Then the Temple of Earth is underground in the middle of a bunch of sand, and the Temple of Water is in tidal caves. That means that your last Temple is another place closely tied to the element that it's representing. Do you know what that element is?"

Ryu thought for a moment. "It's probably Air, since I've been through the rest of the Earthly elements and none of the other classes."

"That would make sense," Trinil agreed. "Having the five Temples you visit on this journey be all of the same class of element, and such an important class too. So, if we assume it's Air _and_ we assume that it is somewhere that we can easily get to from Romero or on the path from Romero to Wyndia, where would the Temple be?"

Ryu finally was able to summon a smile, being used to the rocking enough to compensate his balance for it without thinking about it too much. "And who would we ask about an Air Temple…"

"…other than the Air Ascent among us?" Trinil grinned back at him. "Now you're thinkin'. And no, I don't know where she is. She'd probably appreciate knowing that you're awake." The two Ascents left the room together, but separated to go opposite directions once they had exited.

Ryu found the stairs up and quickly found himself on the deck of a large ship. The large waves that were rocking the ship as it traversed among them were visible all around; barely anything else was. To one side, he thought he could see the hints of land, but he couldn't be sure. A few Manillo were running about, making sure lines were taught, changing things that Ryu didn't understand at all about. The wind in his face slapped at his cheeks and tasted of salt. Having only recently woke up in combination with the sheer amount of pulls on his attention, he didn't notice Nina flying along beside the ship until Nina noticed him and let out a happy screech.

"Ryu! You're awake!" She gracefully set herself down next to him and folded her wings up behind her back. She had a bit of a windswept look about her, but her face was alight with happiness. "We're on our way to Romero! No more places where I have to hide, or deserts with all the sand, or being underwater, or being underground…" She twirled in place. "Just a regular old trip!"

"Until we go through the last Temple."

Nina giggled. "Well yes, but I think we can handle that at this point, don't you? I _mean_ that there are no new dangers or annoyances to get in our way anymore. We're on the downhill side of the climb. The wind's filling our sails!" She pointed unnecessarily up at the sails filled with wind directly above them.

Ryu couldn't help but smile a bit. "You're a happy girl today."

Nina rolled her eyes. "I already told you why, silly Dragon." She put her hands on her hips. "So what do we know about the next Temple?"

"Practically nothing. Only that it's 'on the way.'" Ryu shifted his weight. "That's actually what I was looking to talk to you about."

Nina tilted to her head to one side, obviously interested. "Oh?"

"Have you noticed the pattern in the Temples so far?"

The Wyndian clasped her hands behind her back and looked up in thought. "We've been to the Fire, Lightning, Earth and Water Temples, and there's one more to go." She smiled as she looked back at Ryu. "You're apparently going through all of the Earthly elements. So that just leaves Air. And you wanted to know whether I knew where the Air Temple was." She giggled again. "Aren't you smart?"

Ryu raised an eyebrow. "So you knew."

"Of course I knew we'd be going to the Air Temple, Ryu. _Most_ of the time it's the first Temple that young Dragons visit. The party often stays in the city. I always wanted to go see them when one was in town, but my father forbid it. I wasn't to see them until I was to go with them to participate in the test, for which the time never came." Now her smile turned devious. "Of course, it's likely that I'm the Wyndian who is to help you in this test, so I'll finally get my wish."

"Do you know where it is?" Ryu asked.

"Close enough. I know how to get there, though I've never been there before myself. I'd never been out of the city before this trip. Many wishes come true in one, and I managed to live long enough to tell the tale." Her smile slid off of her face. "Not everyone did."

"We're almost back, Your Highness," a new voice interjected. The two young Ascents turned to find James standing next to them. "We can take our time and grieve once we're there. Just because we're out of immediate danger doesn't mean we can allow ourselves to get lost now."

Ryu smiled at the Agent. "It's good to see you again."

James raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm happy enough to see you again that I think I can be convinced to forgive you for your rash actions in the forest. How about you don't do something so rash next time?"

Ryu smiled uncertainly. "It all worked out in the end, right?"

James relaxed into a smile. "To the joy of all things good, yes. But I'd prefer that you all not go off in places where we can't find you any more."

"What happened to you guys after we left the path, anyway?"

"A long argument about what we were going to do about the two of you. Lance mentioned that there was a chance. Of the six Knights that had been with him, only three were with him when they made it out of the forest. The other three managed to make it out in periods between the next few days and a month. We knew that if you were going to make it out, it might take you a very long time to do so… we decided it was best if we went on and waited in places you would know where to look for us in." He grinned. "Lance, for example, is waiting at the entrance of the Temple of Air."

Ryu opened his mouth, then closed it for a moment in consternation. "_All _of you know where the next Temple is?"

James grinned wryly. "You mean the Temple that the Royal Family is allowed to enter?"

Ryu glared at him, though there was no malice in it. Nina giggled at his expression.

"Well, that certainly makes things easier… even if I wish I'd known that before…"

"You never asked," Nina pointed out with a mischievous grin on her face.

The rest of the trip went smoothly. Nina flew alongside the ship most of the way, reveling in her ability to fly about without any real worry. James and Leah made sure that the Ascents were okay and resting. Rigen talked with the Captain of the ship a lot. Ryu asked Rigen at one point what he was going to do now. "I'm off to do more duties for Prima," he said. "Much as I've enjoyed your company in the past few days, there's always work to be done with us merchants." He gave one of the Manillo trademark grins. "I imagine we'll manage to bump into each other again, though. Until then, be well, young Dragon." Ryu wished him similar blessings.

The ship eventually birthed at the port town Nanai, where a pair of Manillo and a human met the gangplank at the dock. The human was in flowing red robes with gold trim, the Manillo in traditional clothing of their race. A set of soldiers guarded the end of the pier. "Welcome to Nanai and Romero, Princess Nina," the human said, bowing.

"I already feel very welcome, Ambassador Roth," Nina replied warmly.

"We are happy that you are safe and sound. When will you be returning to Wyndia?"

"Immediately."

The Ambassador registered a bit of shock. "We had prepared some rooms for you and your retainers to rest in this evening if you wished…"

Nina was already shaking her head. "I cannot delay any longer. My father must be sick with worry, and you _know_ how my mother would be right now."

The Ambassador chuckled. "This is true, Your Highness. Her Highness the Queen is not shy about her worry."

"So surely you understand my need for haste in this matter."

The Ambassador bowed again. "I do indeed, Your Highness. We can provide horses to you, if you believe that they would help…"

Nina smiled at the man. "I would appreciate any help you provide, as you are most gracious, Ambassador."

He was as good as his word, it turned out, and the party had been outfitted with horses, food and other supplies within the hour. They were ready to leave only shortly after that. The Ambassador attempted to get them to stay one more time, but Nina was politely emphatic about the immediate departure. Both Leah and James seemed happy with the speed that the Ambassador had them moving, though Ryu didn't really find it all that much impressive.

"Too many platitudes," Ryu said in an aside to Trinil while Nina was insisting to the aristocrat once again that they had to leave immediately. "It's a waste of time."

Trinil nodded grimly. "It's what we get for traveling with a Princess." Ryu conceded the point with a nod.

Finally, though it wasn't all that much time at all, the party set out from Nanai toward the Windy Mountains from the north side. The time that had been spent with the man had been grating on Ryu's nerves, but it hadn't taken all that long. The sun, which hadn't risen all that far when they had landed, hadn't even stuck its apex yet as the five rode across the gently sloping hills of southeastern Romero. Atop their horses, the party was easily able to outrun or scare off any monsters that attempted to approach, so the ride was even completely uneventful.

The hills got less and less gentle as they got closer to the tall forbidding mountains that loomed ahead… It was interesting how the mountains could look so dangerous and yet so welcoming at the same time. Some of the peaks were easily recognizable as the same ones that could be seen when looking out from the taller buildings in Wyndia. Even Trinil wasn't immune to the infectious grins that spread throughout the party as they rode closer and closer to the caves that they would be using to climb into the mountain range.

The cave was merely a small opening in the side of a sharp rise that quickly joined one of the larger mountains in the range. The party dismounted and handed the mounts to a soldier that was posted in the small camp at the entrance. He bowed low to the Princess and slightly to the rest of them, wishing them a good journey through the caves. Nina thanked him, and then the party forged onward into the darkness of the cave. Ryu cast a light spell so that they could see where they were going.

The cave consisted mostly of steady climbs, no matter the twists and turns the path made horizontally. Ryu very quickly lost track of what direction was which, turning right, then left, then all the way around, then a little bit right, then a little more right, then around again…

Stopping to fight the monsters didn't help all that much, either. They were of the same species that Ryu remembered from his first foray through caves in the mountain range, though it seemed that they had become hardier and more powerful in the intervening years. James certainly hadn't rusted in the time that he had been away from the Ascents, and he still knew quite well how to contribute to the battles that they found themselves in.

It had been something in the realm of an hour and a half of climbing when there was a branch off of the path that they were following. A large archway led to a cavernous chamber beyond, rather than the tight confines of the tunnels that they had been climbing through until that point. Standing in the center of the arch, smiling with more than a bit of satisfaction, was none other than Lance. There was a beat of silence after the party came to a stop in front of him before Lance broke it.

"Hmph. Took you long enough."


	35. Act II Finale:More Than Just a Challenge

**Act II: Adolescence  
Finale: More Than Just a Challenge  
Party: Ryu, Nina, Trinil, Lance, James, Leah**

"Is this the last one?" Lance asked as he turned around to face the inside of the Temple.

"Yes," Ryu replied, walking up beside him. The rest of the party arrayed themselves behind them.

"Then let's get this over with and go home. I've had quite enough of this trip." Lance started forward, forcing the rest of the party to follow quickly.

The Temple (which Lance informed them all was called the "Wind Cavern") was _immense_. The chambers were so large that Ryu wasn't even sure that there was a ceiling. If it were night, he didn't think that there'd be any difference in looking up whether there was a ceiling or not. The floor of the chambers were islands of platforms connected by winding paths. The stone was roughly hewn… though it was obvious that there was no way that it was shaped by mortal hands. The wind in the chamber was strong and completely unpredictable. Nina was using her magic actively in order to float occasionally so that she could get a better look at the maze that the pathways made. From above, she called out instructions to the rest of the party as to how to proceed.

The monsters were few and far between, mostly taking the form of flying insects or birds. All of them used heavy Air magic in order to stay in control in the difficult winds. Nina was forced to land and be with the party whenever a clump of them showed up to harry the travelers. Without the easy target of Nina alone, the monsters blunted their force on the combined strength of the party, and found themselves overmatched.

As the party maneuvered its way through, they discovered that the Temple was made up of three of these large chambers, interconnected by the paths that they were traversing. The path wound through one room and into another, only to come back through the first room to peek into the third. Nina could only direct the rest of the party; because of her magic usage to remain in control of her flight, she could not carry them with her, even across short gaps.

After seeming like they'd crossed every path at least twice, the party finally found themselves on the platform that connected rooms two and three and had the telltale metal door on it. The door was blocked, of course, but this time by a stone statue of a creature. The three Agents were immediately in battle stances. The three Ascents looked at them strangely, but Ryu slowly drew his sword and Nina her rapier. Trinil continued to look confused. "It's a statue."

"It's a gargoyle," Lance said. As if the thing's name was a trigger, the stone crumbled a little as the head turned to regard the intruders. "And they're dangerous. Be on your guard!" The gargoyle had managed to shed the rest of its stone skin at this point, and it was stretching its muscles in the newfound freedom. Most notably, the leathery wings of the creature went out to their full extension before beginning to flap. Once lifted off from the island that the party was standing on, it charged. Trinil fell over backwards in his attempt to dodge, but the gargoyle ended up overshooting the mark. The time it took for the gargoyle to come around again was all the time that the Woren needed to be ready. Not that Lance's _Fireblast_ didn't help.

Ryu and Leah met the thing head-on, making sure that it couldn't scratch the rest of the party with its powerful claws. Nina and Lance teamed up to attempt to combo a spell, but the gargoyle managed to break through the wall offered by Ryu and Leah and Nina had to dive to the side to make sure she wasn't on the receiving end of the claws. Lance still got off another _Fireblast_ shot, which caused the gargoyle to roar in obvious annoyance and pain. Trinil added to the fire with a _Jolt_, and Ryu and Leah managed to get the monster corralled again.

Having the use of both of its hands as weapons, the gargoyle was using the same kind of tactics to muck with Ryu's sword as he had used before in his own dragon forms. Knowing about it provided him with the ability to defend against it better, and he ended up faring better in melee against the thing than the Agent was. With the thing well distracted, especially once Trinil was in on the melee action, Nina and Lance took advantage of the break to combine their spells.

"_Simoon!_"

The Fire-and-Air combination mostly used the Air part to make the Fire part more potent, and the Agent and two Ascents in melee with the gargoyle dove out of the way quickly when the incantation was shouted by Nina. The gargoyle didn't know what the incantation meant, so it was met with a face-full of flames that spun around it quickly, which only made the flames soar higher and higher until the spell ran out of whatever fueled it. Ryu darted in the instant that it was all smoke and no fire, and his sword rang with the speed of the wind rushing past it as he lopped off the monster's head. Instantly, the head and body both turned to stone and fell to the ground, shattering on impact more like ice than stone.

Ryu was breathing heavily, but he gave a thumbs up to Lance and Nina. "Nice one there."

Nina gave a deep bow, obviously mocking the Ambassador from earlier that day, while Lance merely grinned.

As expected, the door to the shrine opened at this point, revealing a male priest in the traditional robes. "Almost there, Ryu," he said, smiling. Ryu was staring at him, not saying a word, making the rest of the party feel slightly uncomfortable.

"E-Elder Beln!" Ryu finally managed in a stutter.

The Elder's smile widened. "Good thing the past four years haven't dulled your memory." Ryu flung himself at the older man, who caught him easily and chuckled. "It is good to see you again, young man. And so successful to! You're almost done with your first real journey outside!"

It took a moment, but precisely at the same time both Ryu's and Beln's faces fell slightly. "My second," Ryu said quietly.

Elder Beln let out a blustery sigh. "Ah, yes. That." He and Ryu disconnected. "I had heard; an Agent told me about everything shortly after you had made it safely to Wyndia. Not to mention the visits from some of us that had escaped."

A voice came from the other side of the door before Ryu could ask for clarification on the 'visits'. "How about we continue the story later?"

Elder Beln stopped for a moment, then turned with a wry grin to look at Nina. "I'm being hurried. And she knows I hate being hurried." Nina looked mildly apprehensive and more than a little confused.

Ryu only laughed. "That's probably because she's your wife," he said. "Shouldn't keep her waiting for too long."

Elder Beln smiled more warmly now. "Princess, you've grown quite a bit since I'd seen you last. Though it has been four years, so I didn't really expect you to look the same."

Nina furrowed her brow. "You know me? I… uh… You… You knew I was coming?"

Elder Beln chuckled. "Why don't you come on in. Don't want to keep her waiting for too long." He brought up a hand to shield his voice from the open door and lowered his voice. "She can get vicious."

"Only because you deserve it!" came from the opening.

Elder Beln only smiled. "Well? In you go."

Nina was ushered in, as she was still a bit confused, though she didn't fight this. Ryu followed immediately after and Elder Beln brought up the rear. As Elder Beln closed the door, Ryu ran up and hugged the woman in priest robes just in front of the dais. She laughed. "Well! Aren't you excitable today," she said, ruffling the teen's hair.

Ryu seemed to not mind this treatment. "It's good to see _anyone_, Mrs. Beln."

She pushed him away, though gently enough that he only staggered. "Still on that? I can't get you to call me Nadia?" When Ryu shook his head, she put her hands on her hips. "I'm too young to be called Mrs. anything!"

"You got married," Elder Beln pointed out as he joined her in front of the dais. Stepping further back, Ryu noticed that the two slightly blurry figures were present on the dais itself. One being Ladon, of course, and the other a tall man with a shock of wispy hair wreathed in a light green aura.

"Doesn't give everyone the right to make me feel old all day," she retorted, though Ryu knew by her eyes that she was just needling her husband. He could remember many examples of their banter spilling out into the paths in the village.

"Shall we get on with it, then?" Ladon stated.

Both priests turned and nodded their heads at him before turning back to the teens. "I imagine that you have questions about what we know about the… trouble at Ness."

"Of course!" Ryu resisted mightily the urge to roll his eyes at the Elder. "Who came by? Why didn't they come see me in Wyndia?"

"They got here before we knew you'd survived," Nadia said. "If we had known, we would have pointed them straight at you, but you probably hadn't even reached Wyndia yet."

"We only got a few visitors. Just Joanna Tyne and the Hurins," Elder Beln put in. "They told us the story. It was… unbelievable… to say the least. None of them saw much, but… the men that attacked were human, or so we thought. But they could Ascend."

"So you're saying that they were human to our sense of being able to tell who other Ascents are… but they could use transformation abilities?" Nina asked.

"That's the story," Nadia confirmed. "And the transformations were like nothing they'd ever seen before. They became… monstrous. Grotesque was another word that Joanna used, and you know how she's not the exaggerating kind." Ryu nodded in agreement. "Joanna didn't have to fight at all, as she escaped almost immediately. The Hurins watched as Elder Hammet confronted the man who seemed to be the leader… and was cut down, ruthlessly. He… he didn't survive his transformation afterward."

Ryu clenched his fists. "And then what?"

"When Elder Mai transformed and roared in challenge, one of the others standing by their leader proceeded to transform, which surprised everyone. Then, with the help of the leader, the 'monster' then managed to kill Elder Mai, too. Then there was mass… well, panic. Everyone transforming, including a good portion of the intruders. No two of our visitors have given us the same count of the attackers. Five, seven, eleven…"

"It must have been really crazy," Nina said quietly.

"We don't know much else. Only that a few others may have survived, so _he_," Elder Beln jerked his thumb behind him to indicate Ladon, "tells us."

Ryu looked at Ladon. "Who did survive? And why hadn't you told me all of this, since some of your priests knew? I doubt you weren't there when you were told…" His tone had grown more and more accusing as he continued.

"I have my own reasons, Ryu. I knew you would hear this story from mouths you would trust implicitly when you got here, so why tell you that? That's about as much about the attack as I know as well." Ladon looked at each of them in turn. "I ask you to believe me that I do things for a reason, and that I do not keep information from you lightly. Now, I believe we are here for a reason. Elder?"

"Looks like we're not going to get anything more out of him," Elder Beln said in a stage whisper, while his wife snapped her fingers downward in an overly disappointed way. Then they both cleared their throats in unison. "Who enters Shu's Shrine?" Elder Beln asked, his voice taking on the quality of authority, which while rare for him, he wore well.

"I do," Nina and Ryu responded simultaneously. They quickly shared a grin before continuing.

"Ryu Gensu, of the Dragon Clan."

"Nina White, of the Wyndian Clan."

Nadia took over. "Dragon Ryu, you are here to complete your Test of Air. Your partner will be Wyndian Nina. Is this acceptable?"

"It is."

She turned to Nina. "Wyndian Nina, you are here to complete your Test of Strength. Your partner will be Dragon Ryu. Is this acceptable?"

"It is."

"Then you may prepare," Elder Beln intoned. "Drink of the Water of Life and be refreshed before your test. You will need all of your strength, willpower and stamina to face the trial that awaits you." Moments later, the teenagers were ready, standing in front of the dais with only Shu and Ladon in front of them.

"Ryu, this is your final test of this journey. Once this is completed, you will have unlocked all the power within you that you are ready for. You will then have the next three years to harness that power fully before you go on your next journey. The Lands of the West hold secrets from you. One is hidden among the lost Old World. One shines from the tallest mountain. There are more, but only four you must find. Then I will await you at the Tower of the Gods." Ladon smiled. "That won't be your only goal, I'd imagine, though. Your father is attached to a Shrine, after all; I imagine you'd like to see him." Ryu nodded, and Ladon took a deep breath. "So be it, but I will not tell you where. That will be a part of your task. Do you understand?" Ryu nodded again. "Then you are ready."

"Nina, my child," Shu said. His voice seemed to come from the whispering of the wind across tight spaces. It both was hard to hear and hard not to; it made for an odd sensation. "You now will undertake your first task, to assist a Dragon in their test. You will also be gaining powers upon completion of this task, but remember that Wyndian Clanners have died attempting this. Do you still wish to proceed, my child?"

"I do," Nina said strongly, before swallowing.

Shu closed his eyes. "So be it."

"Step up and face your task."

As Ryu stepped up onto the dais he immediately transformed into Wyvern. The adversary was just fading into view: A green dragon that took to standing on its hind legs better than the average dragon, with a straight spine. The dragon was even armed with a sword, obviously having better fine motor control than some of the other dragon forms. Without warning, the dais and the floor was gone, dropping the three combatants down into a featureless… place. Nina easily caught herself, but Wyvern didn't have very good flight capabilities.

"_Flight!_" Nina called, casting a spell on Ryu. He stopped. There was no floor to the chamber. The upper area of the Shrine had also disappeared, leaving only featureless gray around them. The green dragon was the only thing there. Nina drew her rapier, thinking that one of the two of them should remain untransformed for the flexibility in attack options that offered. The two dragons charged each other, Myrmidon bringing the large blade to bear against Wyvern.

Ryu didn't have the same freedom of movement as the two who could fly without magical aid, but he found that willing himself in the right direction was generally good enough. He wasn't quite as adept at dodging, though, and this hurt his melee skills badly. Without the ground support against, it was also harder to launch his own attacks. He learned by doing, however, and didn't take too terribly much punishment from his adversary in doing so. Especially once Nina provided a distraction with a magical shot of power into the Myrmidon's back. Ryu couldn't take as much advantage of the opening as he'd would have liked, but it was helpful to not have to worry about a counter attack quite as much when he launched a flame-powered claw attack.

The Myrmidon turned just long enough to fire a _Cyclone_ at Nina before returning to his melee with Ryu. Ryu used the time to spring back, but immediately found the Myrmidon charging him. He dodged up and around to Nina's side of the green dragon before preparing his breath weapon. The Myrmidon easily dodged the blast, forcing Ryu to cut it off early in order to fend off another attack of the sword. Not before being struck with the sharp blade, though. Blood dripped from the wound, but Ryu grunted through the pain and used a _Fire Pillar _to knock the other dragon off of him.

"A combination spell!" Nina shouted. "That's harder to dodge than your dragon breath!" Ryu thought that this was a decent plan, but his next casting of _Fireblast_ yielded no extra result, as Nina had used the time to heal him instead with a _Rejuvenate_. The Myrmidon didn't just sit there and take it, however. A well-placed strike with the weapon opened a gash in Ryu's side before he could even react. A howl of pain erupted from him as he fell a bit before reasserting his control over his flight.

"Ryu!" Nina called. "_Rejuvenate!_" This time, Ryu focused on defense while Nina healed him and waited for the opening for both of them to combine their spells. While blocking sword strikes with his claws, he made life hard for Myrmidon with his tail. He was getting used to working with Nina's _Flight_ spell. "Ryu! Now!" He sprang back and prepared his _Fireblast_. "_Simoon!_"

Nina then did the tough work of combining the spells properly, giving Ryu the chance to immediately take advantage of his adversary's distraction with the Fire and Air spell to prep his breath weapon. Myrmidon didn't even have a chance to dodge. Ryu's vision faded to white, and then suddenly he was standing on the dais in his human form again. He staggered, but did not fall. Nina landed lightly to his left.

"Well done! Well done, indeed." Ladon had a smile on his face. "Be well these next three years, Ryu. You have certainly earned it."

"As well as you, Princess," Shu said nodding his head. "That was most impressive. Your next test will be here; you will know when to come."

Nina nodded, while Ryu lost the ability to remain on his feet. "At least this is the last time…" he mumbled before the darkness claimed him and he landed face-first on the stone dais.

* * *

Elder Beln carried Ryu out of the Shrine with Nina at his heels. Trinil and the Agents all stood up from where they had been lounging. Elder Beln handed Ryu over to Lance. As he dusted off his hands, he said. "Sorry, but I can't teleport you directly to Wyndia Castle; it's too warded against outside magic to actually send you anywhere on the island itself. However, I can send you to the entrance. Is everyone ready?" He received nods all around as the party gathered around the Elder.

"When can I learn this spell, Elder?" Nina asked.

"When you come back the next time, I'll teach you. You need to get used to the new magic that's flowing through you right now before it'll take." He smiled kindly at the Princess. "Sorry I can't teach it to you now. _Warp!_"

It was like the world exploded into a million fragments, only to be rebuilt quickly. The deep dark blue of the cave shattered and then coalesced again as white snow and the darkness of the abyss. The island was in view above them, and they were right next to the elevator…

…but there were a pair of armored humans and a human in what seemed to be an elaborate uniform between the party and the elevator.

The one that was slightly closer turned his head to look at the sudden arrivals. "I think that's them!" he cried out, drawing his broadsword. The other followed suit. "Orders, sir?"

The man who wasn't in armor s wearing a deep red longcoat with gold buttons down the front and a high collar. On the left breast a single gold bar. He regarded the arrivals as they got into a defensive posture, including Lance moving to the back with Ryu's prone form. Leah, Trinil and James took the front, while Nina set up just behind them.

"Take them," the man said, and the two armored foes charged. Leah easily deflected one strike and took that one out of the fight. James and Trinil used their speed and magic to deflect the other one. Lance reached into a back pocket of his pack and pulled out a flare gun. Nina offered support magic where she could, adding an _Eddy_whenever she could attack clearly. She noticed that the other man was preparing magic and she quickly glanced up at him just as she heard the flare fired behind her.

The longcoat had his hand up and aimed directly at Nina. "Perfect," he said, "_Pyrokinesis!_"

Nina tried to jump out of the way, but she was caught by a good portion of the spell and was sent sprawling to the ground. All three agents called out "Princess!" The man charged another strike, but Lance had placed Ryu on the snowy ground and made it in front of the Wyndian before the second blast struck her, and he took most of the blow. The force of it forced him to one knee.

"Lance!" Nina called out. "_Rejuvenate!_"

The spell allowed Lance to stand, but he was struck down quickly. "_Pyrokinesis! _This is getting old," the man said. Both Leah and the other pair were trying to push past their foes, but they were too locked in their combat to be able to break past them to the leader. "I guess I'll stop being so picky, then. _Sirocco!_" While the wide area fire spell hit the man's allies, they didn't seem to be very affected by it. Lance fell face-first in the snow, and Nina was knocked prone as well. The others were able to weather the spell and remain upright, but it was a close thing with the big armored men attacking them.

Nina struggled to rise. "Lance!" she coughed, spitting out snow. "_Rejuvenate!_" she cast on herself. Then she staggered over to the fallen Agent. "Lance!" He didn't move. "_Rejuvenate!_" No effect.

"Aw, did I manage to knock your knight in shining armor out?" the man asked in a babying voice, though it sounded almost threatening since his posture indicated that he could cast another one of his devastating spells in a breath.

"YOU BASTARD!" Nina cried, tears forming at the edges of her vision. Then she disappeared in a flash of white light that managed to out-shine the bright snow that surrounded her. When everyone was able to see again, an eagle was dive-bombing the leader.

"_P-Py-_" he tried, but he couldn't get the spell off before Nina was on him, talons clawing through his coat and slashing red marks on exposed skin. Air magic was obviously in use, as he found himself held to the spot. A slash across the face and he cried out in pain and distress. "_Help me!_"

The other two tried to move to his aid, but found themselves blocked by their adversaries, and their combats continued at a more fevered pace.

Nina easily clawed away all of the man's coat, leaving him naked and criss-crossed with red slashes. Then she reverted to her humanoid form and had her rapier to the man's throat. "Call off your men," she said in a quiet, dangerous voice.

"D-d-disengage!"

The two armored men backed off from their stalemates with the others. Once it was obvious that there was a true stalemate, James hurried to Lance's side and began to treat him.

"M-mission failed," the man said, his voice resigned. "_Sacrifice!_" His two partners echoed him. All three of them, even the armor that the men were wearing, began to glow red.

"Princess! Get away from him!" A Wyndian Knight landed next to her and proceeded to grab the man by the neck and throw him into the abyss. Five more Knights landed nearby and while some tried to beat back the two armored men, the others herded the Agents and Ascents away from them. They finally exploded, sending the two Knights that were close enough down to the snow. The rest of them, including Lance, were unharmed from the sacrificial spell.

"Ryu!" Nina called out. She rushed over to his side. He didn't seem to have taken all that much damage from the blast, and was still breathing normally. Nina used her Air magic to make him lighter and picked him up before heading back toward the rest of them.

The Wyndian Knight that had called out the warning swore explosively. "Now we can't question them!"

Leah looked around. "Is everyone alright?"

"We need to get Lance up to the Castle," James said quickly. He handed him to one of the Knights, who lifted off on his wings immediately for the Castle.

Nina was staring at where the remains of the two armored men were, still carrying Ryu. "Princess?" Leah tried. Nina only shook her head before turning around and walking onto the lift. The rest of them exchanged looks before joining her. They were all silent as the Knights arrayed themselves in a protective formation around Nina and Ryu, while she stared straight ahead. The lift engaged, carrying them up and away from the snowy peak. Nina began to cry, though she didn't notice the tears that fell down her cheeks.


	36. Interlude: The Magical Tree

**Interlude: The Magical Tree**

It had been nearly two years since the tree had suddenly appeared.

Joan hadn't minded at all. The extra shade beside the place where she got the water for her cooking was always welcome in midsummer, and spring and autumn were always prettier with colorful leaves and blossoms. Other members of the village were not as pragmatic about the sudden appearance.

"It's a demon tree!" a red-haired man called from the center of the village square. The assembled crowd jeered as one. "We must get rid of it! It is what's causing our crops to fail!" Joan blamed the drought, which clearly had nothing to do with the tree. "It is what's causing the land to become dry!" …Or maybe not. "It is what's causing all the problems in the village! It was placed there by an Ascent! The Ascents want all the humans dead!" Louder and louder the man was massaging the crowd.

Joan didn't really trust the man's words; after all, he had appeared only shortly after the tree. He provided good services as a blacksmith, but a small village with two blacksmiths got a bit crowded with metal tools. Then he was spewing his normal crap about the tree being completely evil, but now people were actually listening to him. Joan was also listening, but Joan was also letting herself think. The tree had actually made her life _easier_ directly. And claiming that it made her life harder indirectly… well, she'd need more than a man's word. Particularly a man such as _that one_.

The crowd was dispersing, having decided that the evening would be when they would all go to cut down the tree. And _he_ headed straight for Joan. Used to this development by now, Joan merely hefted the bucket that she was going to use to get the water today and turned around.

"Hey!"

She ignored his call.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!"

_That's why I'm ignoring you._

He caught up to her quickly, as he was not burdened with a large container and was willing to run. While Joan continued to keep her steady pace, the man fell into stride easily. "You need an escort if you're going to go to the nearest part of the stream."

She couldn't let that one go. "My husband begs to differ." A light emphasis on the operative word (husband) would fly right over the moron's head, but she couldn't help it.

"Your husband does not understand the danger involved," he said, clearly missing the point of what she said. "I'm the only one who truly understands the danger, after all." They kept walking, mostly because he wasn't going to leave her side and she knew that there was nothing that she could do to dissuade him from his self-appointed task.

Joan decided that she would try a different tack today, even if she had no real hope of it working. "Danger. From a _tree_." Alright, she'd admit it: she was just frustrated.

"A demon can possess anything, you know. That's what these Ascents are doing: possessing things and people in order to take over."

Joan looked over at her unwanted companion incredulously. "Are you saying that Ascents are demons?"

"Yes! Precisely! I knew you were a smart one!"

Joan knew that her face must be a sight to see, but she couldn't change it. Heck, she'd stopped walking. The man got ahead of her slightly before turning around to face her and tilting his head to one side in askance. Joan finally managed to school her face back into a scowl (her default expression for this bozo) and shook her head before resuming her walk. She looked out at the horizon, where something was different. "They're just as mortal as we are," she said somewhat absently, her blue eyes scanning the horizon warily.

He apparently hadn't noticed the anomaly. "That's our only advantage against them." He also wasn't really listening to her. Not that this was different than any other day. "We _can_ defend against them because they're mortal like us… but in no other way are they _like_ us."

Joan sighed. "Please shut up." She now knew what it was that had struck her as different about the horizon, and a small part of her really wanted to watch the moron notice. Most of her just wanted to get her water and go back to her house, while a last tiny part felt a little melancholy about the change.

Not able to take a hint was one thing, but now he was blatantly ignoring her. "They're the ones causing all of our problems. We humans have to band together and stand against them if we're to have a prayer of winning this war." _What war?_ "They'll kill us all, you know." _…what?_ "And they started with that one Ascent turning into that tree!" He finished with a flourish, spinning to face Joan and flinging his arm out to indicate the

…absent tree.

Joan found the appropriate response instantly. "What tree?"

He made a face. He clearly hadn't even looked at his surroundings yet. How did he not trip over his own feet? "The tree! The tree! The one I've been talking about! It's right there!" He flung his arm out again, this time extending a finger to help with the indication.

Joan tilted her head to one side. _Don't smile. Don't smile. Don't smile… _"I don't see a tree." She… sort of succeeded. _Enough that oblivious over there isn't going to notice, anyway._

Now he was getting frustrated. "The tree! That damn tree right…!" He turned around, causing his cadence to drop off like a boulder down a cliff. _Finally_. Joan used the opportunity to walk forward toward the water, but she found herself held back by a hand on her sleeve. "What are you doing?" he asked desperately.

Joan looked at him like she thought he was crazy. _Not hard; I do._ "Getting water." She said it slowly, as if to a toddler.

"They're playing with our minds! Giving us a tree and then making it disappear! It's a fear tactic!"

Joan shook him off of her sleeve. "I need water. How about you go tell the village all about the disappearing tree?" He spun and shot off in the direction of the village shouting for everyone to come together to meet again. Joan sighed and turned around. What a stroke of luck! Because the tree was gone, she managed to shake off the bastard before the whole trip was over. She did wish her husband did something that kept him closer to the village instead of hunting monsters. Then he'd probably have told the idiot to shove off – physically - long before.

She arrived at the edge of the stream and carefully dipped her bucket in. She briefly missed the tree's shade, as the bright reflection from the water was nearly blinding in its intensity, but she was quickly finished with her task and on her way back to the village. Perhaps she'd hear the last bit of the idiots ranting and raving. If she was lucky, she'd miss him entirely on her way back to her house. It sure made an interesting story for her husband that evening.

Joan was not a very perceptive woman, though. She did not notice the figure of a man that was walking away from the stream when she and the idiot had been approaching it. Had she seen him, she might have given credence to the theories that her self-appointed guardian had been posing. Not being near him, she didn't even have a chance of hearing his muttered statement.

"Gaia's probably mightily tiffed at me by now."


	37. Interlude:The Uses of an Infirmary's Bed

**Interlude: The Uses of an Infirmary's Bed**

Waking up was something that Lance never really looked forward to. Sleeping was far too comfortable for him to enjoy being forced out of it in any way. But he found that sitting up in the Castle Infirmary was far and away a different experience than waking up anywhere else. The big deal was that he was _alive_, which had apparently been a touch and go statement a few weeks previous. Now he was mostly bored, if still fairly glad he'd lived through the experience.

He'd done his job, after all. Princess Nina was in sound health, though no one other than the King, Queen, Prince, the Princess's new maid and the Princess's new Guard had seen her since the return to the Castle. Or so he heard anyway. _He_ wasn't allowed to leave the Infirmary yet. It had finally been long enough that he was getting a little antsy sitting in bed all day… but he often had visitors.

The first visitor of the day had been and likely would always be the King. The people in the Infirmary knew he was coming because all of the medical staff returned to the Infirmary bedroom at once to make sure anyone who they didn't want rising didn't stand up and bow to their liege. It was a little embarrassing that they had to do that, but Lance realized the first time that he came in, despite being barely able to move himself, all his instincts screamed for him to rise and then kneel.

He was apparently well enough now that he was allowed to rise and kneel to his King when he entered the Infirmary to visit all those in the Castle that were required to remain there. "Rise, Agent," he heard the King say, "and return to bed. I hear that you'll be released at the end of the day if you behave yourself."

Lance rose. "I guess that means that I'll be out in the next few weeks, Your Majesty."

The King chuckled. "Indeed. Try to keep it as short as possible. Having one of the Agents that saved the Princess confined here is an incredibly inefficient use of his resources, don't you think?"

Lance bowed his head slightly. "Yes, Your Highness."

Most of the days began something like that, though this was only the fourth day that he was allowed to stand up. He was supposed to go out and walk around (with an escort) twice a day now, and he had also heard the same rumor that the King had. If he checked out, he could be released that very day. He was excited.

The second visitor of the day was about as reliable as the first, and while Lance never begrudged the company of his King, he found that he was far more comfortable with his longtime partner. "Aren't you giving up valuable training time to be in here with me?" Lance asked as James walked up to him.

"Not really," he replied. "It's not like my training is nearly as effective if you're not there, after all. And the young'ins aren't out there with me until the afternoon, so I'm not missing training anyone else, either."

"Sounds boring."

"Hence, I hang out in the Infirmary," James concluded mildly.

"Well…" Lance drew out, "I guess you can come by in that case."

Another conversation that happened nearly identically every day. It was soothing, really. After some amount of weeks that all ran together of uncertainty and frantic worry about the Princess and his charge, a few weeks of things that he could count on like clockwork was good for his psyche. That's what he told himself, anyway. Being more and more bored as the days dragged on wasn't helping, but the possibility that his limitations would be lifted had allowed the return of his good spirits. James, of course, didn't comment on it. Just a small smile that could only be seen if you were looking for it.

It was after this point that the day would get slightly less predictable, but only just. James left to do his own solo training before teaching the little ones and apparently spar the new Ascent Trinil with a staff. Lance was given a chance to go on a short walkabout, then was returned to his bed to be fed lunch. Afterward came the dragonboy. "Still not out yet?" the teen asked as he sat on the edge of the bed.

"Nope. Not sure how they've kept me chained here so long. Maybe tonight, though."

"So you say every day. What makes today different?"

Lance drew a breath and smiled. "The King said so."

Ryu's eyebrows rose. "_Really_, now?" He looked impressed, even. "That would make me believe it too. So I guess that means you'll be out in the training yard tomorrow."

"You bet, and kicking your tush all across the grass."

Ryu rolled his eyes and stood up. "We'll see. It'll be good to have you back, though. It's far too quiet out there when you're not yelling at someone."

Lance grinned at the boy. "Of course; someone always deserves to be yelled at, after all." Ryu left chuckling. Lance noticed the other Ascent that had arrived with Ryu when he had come to the Castle more than three years prior. She was leaning against the doorframe of the Infirmary, watching Ryu approach her. She was a bit of an enigma to Lance, but she and Ryu didn't really separate without need. Perhaps he would have the opportunity to learn more about her later. She left with Ryu, but not before tossing another glance at the tenant her friend had come to visit.

As the sun began to fall quickly through the sky, Lance was given another opportunity to go walking (with an escort, of course). This time he even got to walk around the training yard where he saw Ryu and that girl sparring in addition to James giving lessons in basic swordplay to the young nobles at the Castle. Other instructors and other pupils were scattered around the yard, though none others that were good friends of Lance. He managed, albeit barely, to not call out pointers in the fast moving Ascent form match between Ryu and the wolf. He figured he'd be able to do it without chancing his release when he was out training himself. He didn't like the look in his escort nurse's eyes, anyway.

Next on the menu was more bedrest through the late afternoon followed by dinner and bed. On days where James knew of something that might prevent his visit the following day, he would come again, but that wasn't true on this day. The late afternoon was without visitors… until the most surprising visitor of the day came to see him.

The warning that the Infirmary had of the visitor was the quiet that descended on the hallway outside. The hallway where the Infirmary was located was a main thoroughfare in the Castle and was constantly in use by the various servants and even had nobles strolling through at nearly all times. There was no time that the hallway was completely quiet, and yet silence fell outside the door. The nurses on duty noticed about when Lance did, and even the other tenants in the Infirmary were craning their necks from whatever position they were limited to in order to see what was going on outside the door.

Two guards stepped crisply into the room to frame the door while two more entered and went directly toward Lance's bed. One lifted the sheets to determine that there was nothing but more sheets underneath and the other checked the headboard for… weapons? Probably. Lance noticed the markings on the guards' chests and his eyebrows rose. He was getting a visit from the Princess?

Sure enough, next through the door was Leah, followed quickly by the Princess of Wyndia, who caused the entire Infirmary to bow slightly in unison before the nurses continued on their tasks. The other tenants, with nothing else to do, naturally continued to stare at the royal visitor in their midst. Nina walked slowly but with purpose as she came to the side of Lance's bed. Leah came with her, smiling. Nina was not.

"Princess," Lance said, bowing his head slightly, though he was quashing a primal need to bow further, "I am quite honored by your presence."

Nina's eyes were downcast, through Lance knew that she could see that he had given her her due. Leah spoke quietly in her stead. "She wanted to come earlier, but couldn't make herself."

Lance nodded. "It's understandable," he said to Leah, though then he turned his attention back to the Princess. "You went through a lot on that trip, Princess. And you weren't really allowed the opportunity to grieve. It's natural that you would take the opportunity when you actually had it."

"I should have come to see you." Her words were so quiet as to be barely audible, but they were somehow firm nonetheless.

Lance shrugged. "I did my job and lived to do it again someday. You, my liege, owe me nothing more than mild gratitude for a job well done. What I did, what James and Leah and even Ryu did while we were out there, none of it was beyond the call of our duty as Agents; the elite of the Knights that serve Wyndia. I'm alright. I'm not in the least bit bothered that you needed to spend time honoring those who fell to keep you safe."

Nina's gaze shot up to each of the guards in her field of vision momentarily before returning to the floor. "I'm still not comfortable with them. They could die again. Just like last time."

"We're putting them through the ringer," Leah said. "Your Guard is having the best training possible and is made up of only the best recruits to the Knights we have. There are even four future Agents among them. We also will never be placing you in the same kind of situation that you were in that required such a cost to keep you safe again."

"For killing your Guard, Tantar has given up the moral high ground in the diplomatic relationships on the continent," Lance added. "Even Auria is aghast at their actions and has placed more military strength at the cave that separates the two countries."

"I'm…" Nina whispered, "I'm just…"

"It's not really something we're expecting you to ever be comfortable with," Leah said. "Having someone throw themselves in front of you to keep you safe… to _die_ to keep you safe… those are things that hand over a great deal of responsibility. You can feel that, which is a good thing. But you also have to remember that you need to move on. You need to keep yourself active and well. Train so that you can protect yourself in struggles better. Learn so that you can run the country when your parents are gone. Make your life mean something, and you can say that the Princess Guard that protected you in Tuntar did not give itself in vain."

"And we already know it didn't," Lance added. "You're a strong Ascent, and I watched your combat skills increase throughout our trip together. Be the best Princess you can be, and the Princess Guard will feel, wherever they are, that you were worth the cost."

"But I wasn't!" Nina shouted, her eyes now blazing and filling with tears. "I'm not worth so many lives!"

"Are you not?" Lance asked her mildly.

"No! My life is not worth forty others! Or more! I'm not worth making Agent Leah break down because of the loss of her entire unit!" Nina was studiously attempting to not look at Leah as she said this.

"What would happen, Princess, if you died?" Leah asked softly, causing the Princess's head to whip around. One of the threatening tears spilled over onto her cheek, but she paid it no mind.

When she hadn't answered for a while, Lance did. "The country would go into mourning. The Royal Family would wear black for six months. The common people's morale would plummet. Prince Kenneth-"

"Stop," Leah admonished him quietly. Nina was looking down at the ground again.

"Wyndia needs you," Lance continued after a short pause. "You are necessary for the continued flourishing of this country. That starts with getting out of your room. Aha! Step one: check."

Nina sniffed and rubbed at her eyes.

"You will be fine. I think you need to stretch your wings a bit; is it true that you haven't been out of your room since I got locked up in here?"

Nina nodded slowly, shamefully.

Lance smiled at her. "Then how about we both consider tomorrow our day of release? You have mourned the loss of those who fought for you, and you have thanked me for my participation. I imagine you've thanked Leah every day these past weeks for hers. Make sure you talk to James. Make sure you talk to Ryu. I bet they'll both help you too. But tomorrow, you smile and get back to your routine. Just like I will." He turned to the nurse standing by making sure that he didn't overdo himself during the visit. "Right?"

"If you check out after dinner, Agent, then yes."

Lance gave a sigh. "Still no straight answer." For an instant, there was a hint of a smile on the Princess's face. "That's our Princess."

Nina suddenly closed the distance between them and threw her arms around Lance. "Thank you," she said into his shirt. Then she straightened and stood slightly taller. "Let's go for a walk around the Castle and see if we can't find James, Trinil and Ryu."

Lance snapped. "I knew there was someone I forgot!" He was rewarded with a momentary smile again, though Leah rewarded him with a larger and longer one than the Princess's.

With that, the Princess and Leah left, along with the Princess Guard, which was finally given the opportunity to practice its craft since Nina was in the public areas of the Castle. And she would be alright. Just like Leah was alright and working hard again. Just like Lance would be alright… he scowled. "I'd better check out tonight."


	38. Act III Prologue: Wyndia at War

**Act III: Adulthood  
Prologue: Wyndia At War**

Ryu shut the door to his room with a hint of finality. It was, after all, not really his room anymore. Not on a permanent basis, anyway. Sure, if he returned to Wyndia he would be welcome in the Castle (the Royal Family had been rather insistent on this point, particularly since his little side trip with Nina), but it was time for him to leave and, as the Wyndians referred to the practice, fledge.

His partner for his excursion was standing already with her pack all ready and on her back. A little smirk was on her face. "Am I going to be the one waiting for you to finish packing every morning?"

Ryu quirked one of his eyebrows, but his answering smirk shone through his attempt at keeping his face blank. "This from the person hardest to get up in the morning."

"Hey! I finally can sleep through the night now that I transform at will instead of with moonlight. I can get up anytime with you, now."

"You be sure to do that."

The pair of troublemakers descended the stairs slowly. As much as Luna wouldn't admit it, she didn't quite want to leave the Castle either. Ryu had a few theories on why that was, but he didn't really care about which one was correct. Both of them had a good six years in the Castle, and the end of any Era was somewhat nostalgic in nature.

The corridors of Wyndia Castle were familiar haunts to Luna and Ryu, and they took a bit of a winding route through them toward the Audience Chamber, where the Royal Family would see them off. It was in this way that they made their way through the corridors that connected the private areas of the Royal Suites and the more "public" areas that were the haunts of the Ascents and nobility.

"Good thing Nina's not here, hmm? You might get in a fight on your last day."

"It's not my fault she starts altercations with me."

"It's her fault you use the word 'altercations', though." This earned Ryu a shove and laughter from his friend. While Luna was responding, Ryu heard something that perked his ears up and he shushed Luna with a suddenly serious face. Luna, instantly picking up what Ryu was about, silenced immediately so that the conversation that was just around the next corner could be heard clearly.

"No, Yunil. I don't think either of them should be out there. It's not just the fact that Kenneth is too young for a command…" That was obviously the Queen's voice. Ryu and Luna quickly and quietly set themselves in a position that they wouldn't have to move much in order to hear well, and could stay in for a long period.

"Darla, I've said it before: There's only so long we have before they will be the leaders of the country and not us." And the King too! "Nina won't make a great Queen if she doesn't understand the way war works. And she clearly is old enough to be taking a command."

"I don't think she's quite ready," the Queen insisted. "She's only eighteen. The generals are barely going to be taking her seriously!"

"I was fifteen when I got my first command. I only waited this long with her because she had that terrible scare that year." Ryu remembered the incident pretty well. Luna was merely pissed that she hadn't been there to help. "She's been ready for a while, but only now has the war actually required someone versed in politicking near the front just in case there's a parlay."

"But that's when they'll try to capture her again!"

The King rumbled a growl. "Attempting to capture a visiting dignitary is an act of war. Breaking a parlay to capture a foreign leader is an act of war against the whole continent, and they're so close to that as it is. Even with the Empire's vast resources, they can't afford a three front war with Romero and Auria in addition to us. Regardless, do you think Leah's actually going to let something like that happen again? She'd die first."

The Queen's voice turned shrill. "We can't lose the best protection our daughter has either!"

"Calm yourself, Darla. Nina will be alright. She also has come into her own, magic-wise, thanks in large part to the Ascents who are leaving today." Ryu turned to Luna and pointed at her, which made her shrug, though a smile hinted at the edges of her mouth. "With the kind of competition she faced here, and the sheer determination she had to not be helpless after the incident three years ago… well, she's become more than merely 'formidable' in a tussle. Armsmaster Doof lost in a two of three first touch bout just a few weeks before she left."

The voices had been coming closer for a while now, and having learned of what the argument was about, Luna and Ryu rose and started to make noise. Then they rounded the corner in the opposite way from where the voices were coming from, pretending that they hadn't even known that the King and Queen were there, and continuing their conversation. As well as stepping up their pace so that they would get out of hearing range of the Royal Family quickly enough for them to continue the conversation soon enough.

"Of course it was necessary for me to be present for the altercations!" Ryu insisted. "You might have really hurt each other."

"She's a healer you know," Luna countered. "She could easily have patched me up if she'd made a mistake."

"And if you had?"

"I learned herbalism, since I wasn't willing to focus any of my spell time on healing. I could keep her from anything permanent until you showed up or she managed to heal herself."

Ryu made a disbelieving noise, which made Luna laughed. They rounded a few more corners going over rather pointless banter that they had discussed long beforehand before Ryu risked a glance backwards. Seeing no one, he abruptly switched topics. "I didn't know the Queen hadn't wanted them to go."

"Can you blame her?" Luna asked. "Nina wasn't exactly _safe_ the last time she left the Castle. She only _got_ back because you, Lance and James were still in town when they tried to pull that stunt." She grumbled. "I should have been there too, but _no_…"

Ryu cut her off before she could wax poetic on how she had been 'kept hostage' and 'not allowed to roam' when Ryu had the 'opportunity to see the world.' "Still, she has to leave some time, and she won't be outside of the confines of a fort unless something goes wrong or the enemy raises the white flag."

They had reached the non-Royal entrance to the Audience Chamber. It was empty other than them and the Chaplain, who had apparently also just arrived. "It's just too bad we're not going that way; you never got a chance to say goodbye, did you?" Ryu asked, earning another shove from his companion before he had the opportunity to put down his pack. He purposefully placed his pack precisely where he had placed his pack when he had been preparing to leave three years earlier. If he could keep the luck he had then in addition to the extra skills that he had honed over the past three years, then he would have a successful, and possibly less stressful, journey.

Luna must have noticed a look on his face, because her voice was quieter and more serious when she spoke again. "Are you nervous?"

Ryu blew out a long breath. "Yeah, a little bit. It wasn't exactly a perfect trip last time."

"Just the two of us this time; less likely to get split up. And we're not nearly as famous."

"Unless I'm recognized by a Tantaran agent of some sort," Ryu countered. "If they want revenge for what the Agents and I did in getting Nina out of there… Maybe they even think I'm an Agent of Wyndia…"

"You are," came the King's voice as he and the Queen entered. Ryu and Luna snapped crisp salutes to them as they walked over to their thrones. "Officially, anyway. You can get help at any Wyndian installation just like an Agent can. I also want to know anything about the situation that you will clearly be investigating while you are gone."

"Have there been any leads other than what I have found out myself, Your Majesty?" Ryu asked.

The King shook his head. "Not as such, no. I'm pretty sure you know everything I do, and that's little enough for six years after the event itself. There might not even be anything else to find. Our Agents on the other continent have not had any luck either… " He shook his head again, then looked directly at Ryu's eyes. "But you have far more reasons to succeed, and perhaps an in."

"Thank you for your help, Your Majesty," Ryu said, bowing. Luna bowed with him, still silent. "I will certainly let you know about anything I may find when I'm in the area or I make contact with an Agent I know."

The King smiled and lowered his head to acknowledge the bows. "That's all I ask. Don't forget that though you are officially Agents, you're also undercover. This isn't even an official audience for your departure. Leaving an hour before dawn… well, it's a good idea for any who might actually be watching you. I must commend you on your ideas." Ryu bowed again in thanks for the praise. "But it is time. Be safe and be swift in your quest. And don't be a stranger, either of you. Nina's quite fond of the two of you, and it would be a shame if you both just disappeared."

Ryu heard Luna make a soft sound, but it wasn't loud enough for anyone else to hear and Ryu chose to ignore it. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Ryu and Luna bowed once again and then turned to pick up their packs to leave. "Oh, and Ryu?" The Queen added, causing Ryu to turn around again as Luna picked up her pack. The King was already out of the room, but the Queen was looking at him with a fond smile. "Happy Birthday."


	39. III:1: Not Quite Safe

**Act III: Adulthood**

**Chapter 1: Not Quite Safe**

**Party: Jenny, Emily**

The northern port of Romero was a busy and lively town. This was most obvious when there were multiple ships capable of crossing the Muddy Ocean or Northern Sea were berthed and unloading or loading cargo. Or passengers, in one case. That case brought a large amount of people off of the gangplank and directly into the way of scurrying workers. Several of the richer passengers got into spats and rows with the local flavor. Most tried to get out of the way as soon as they could. Two passengers coming off of this particular vessel were especially good at weaving through the crowd unnoticed, and managed to escape the port district more quickly than anyone else on the same ship, despite having gotten off the boat near last.

Emily Brand, a young woman with fiery red hair and similarly colored eyes made sure that the cowl of her cloak was still hiding one of those facts from the crowds that she and her companion still found themselves in. She kept her gaze down at the flagstones in order to hide the other, trusting that her blue-haired and eyed companion would guide her when needed. She was roughly jerked toward the side of the road by her companion, and she went with the motion easily, but had to suppress the urge to give her companion a look in askance. Jenny's answer came anyway. "Stupid noble in a chariot." The voice was so low as to not really have a tone, but Emily could tell that her companion was less than enthused about the subject's appearance. The spit on the flagstones where Emily could see reinforced this notion.

"Careful now, dear," Emily said mildly. Jenny was probably letting off steam that she couldn't while they were on their trip. Jenny turned out to be prone to seasickness, which had made the whole journey somewhat of a nightmare for the younger woman. Especially with the nagging little fact that she had no idea about the seasickness beforehand, and could not have. "Did you remember a bad run-in with a noble, or something?"

"No," Jenny replied with a sigh in her voice as the throng bled back into the center of the thoroughfare. "The ones here are just complete -" Emily raised her eyebrows at the word Jenny used, but didn't comment on it. It was too bad Jenny couldn't see her disapproving face.

"Let's just find an inn on the outskirts of town, and get some food in you that won't come back to visit," Emily said as soothingly as she could, though it was blunted by the inability to actually give her any physical comfort other than squeezing the arm she held. Jenny sighed in response, but neither of them spoke again for a while as they made their way down the main street.

The crowd was just as lively as the crowds that they had seen on the other continent. Jenny had mildly expected that _everything_ would have been different about the people and places of the other continent. But, other than the building styles, which were still somewhat different in design, they could still have been in the port town in which they had boarded the ship in the first place. She found she was mildly disappointed by this discovery. After all, if the different location was supposed to awaken her memories...

She shook her head minutely... but resolutely. It was their best chance; the best idea that they had for trying to figure out her origins. While Emily did not know where Jenny's Clan resided... she knew that it was somewhere among the Eastern Nations. So here they were. The best clues were somewhere on this side of the water. She wouldn't have to ride another boat to get to her hometown. She hoped. For more than one reason.

"There's an inn. Do you think we're far enough yet?" Jenny asked her companion.

Emily had chanced looking up a couple times. The crowd had thinned to the point that she no longer had to stare at her own feet. "Yes, this should be fine for now." She could even see the guardhouse that was near the city wall. "Hungry?" Emily felt the shove and laughed. She even spotted the corners of Jenny's mouth twitching. "Let's get you some food, dear."

"We'd better. I could eat you."

The inside of the Inn was in no way luxurious, but it was sturdy and had a pair of burly guards that framed the entrance. The young women walked in and Jenny walked up to the man behind the bar. "A room and dinner, sir."

The man humphed. "Forty zenny for the meal, sixty for the room. One hundred all told, up front." Jenny reached into her pack and dropped a set of coins on the counter. The man's eyebrows rose to where his hairline used to be. "Well, then, you should lay aside your loads." He reached under the counter and tossed keys onto the counter, where Emily picked them up gingerly. "Up the stairs, third on the right. Dinner's served in an hour and a half-"

"Is there any way we can have something now?" Jenny cut in. Her stomach grumbled as if to agree with her point and she swayed slightly.

The man looked up and squinted one eye. "Ah... go lay down your packs and I'll ask my Lady if she can get you something early."

"Thank you, sir," Jenny said, bowing. Emily bowed her head in thanks as well. The man simply made shooing motions before going back to cleaning the glass that he had in his hand. The girls headed up the stairs.

Jenny collapsed on the bed closer to the door. "I don't know which I want more, food I can keep down or a good night's sleep."

Emily clucked. "We should get you the food first. You'll probably find that I have to carry you up here once you've had your dinner; you'll be even more ready for a good night's sleep then." She opened the shades that blocked the late afternoon sunlight from entering the room. "At least it's late enough that you'll adjust to the timezone quickly."

"Aren't you tired, too, Emily?"

Emily turned back to face her friend. "A little, but I was able to get decent sleep on the boat, while you woke up at all hours. There were times that I had to let you suffer alone if I was to stay well enough to take care of you when you got particularly bad."

Jenny took on a thoughtful look. "That makes sense." She rose, then stumbled. "Grah, now the _ground_'s moving."

Emily reached forward and grabbed her friend's hand. "Your body's used to balancing itself against a constantly moving ship. Now it needs to get back to being used to the ground that takes offense to moving most of the time." Once Jenny had her balance again, the two smiled at each other. "Shall we head back downstairs?"

Upon returning to the main room, which was set up as a dining hall, there was a middle-aged woman standing next to the proprietor behind the bar. Upon spotting them, the man pointed them out, and the woman immediately came out. "Are you the two young ladies?!" she exclaimed with a smile, flicking her eyes from one girl to the other. "Must've just gotten off the ship. Need a good home-cooked meal in your belly and a nice warm mattress to get yourselves up-and-at-em, hmm?" She didn't wait for an answer as her hands came down on either shoulder of the girls. They stiffened, but otherwise didn't react. "Well, you just leave it to me! I'll get you something comforting and I'll get it to you quickly. You just pick a table to have your meal at ladies, and I'll make sure that you get some decent service."

The girls were ushered over to a table and they sat down; the woman winked at them and bustled away through a door that was apparently to the kitchen. Jenny and Emily looked at each other and shrugged. They had ended up at a table they likely would have chosen anyway, with a good view for each of them and a wall to cut down on places where they could be surprised from. Both girls turned their chairs slightly so that they could cover the whole dining area between the two of them... though there was no one in the room other than them and the man behind the bar.

This slowly changed. In the next few minutes, more and more people were coming in to ask the proprietor for lodging and a meal. He quoted the same prices at them as he had for the girls, though for a particularly rowdy bunch he raised the price slightly. They objected. He explained that it was to pay for the lamp that they had broken the last time they had stayed there. There was much grumbling about the man, but they paid the fine in the end. All of them wanted to eat sooner rather than later, but the proprietor shook his head. "Wait an hour. The regular dinner will start coming down then. You might as well enjoy the nice evening outside until then." This also earned some grumblings, which redoubled when the girls were served by a smiling mistress of the house, but the master stood firm. "My Lady makes those choices, I don't. I can ask for you, but I wouldn't count high your chances unless you got a good sob story prepped."

Did that make theirs a sob story? The girls looked at each other, and when they realized that their expressions were nearly identical question marks, they laughed quietly. The food was a simple stew, but it was excellent for that, and obviously served right as the stew had finished. The side of baked bread appeared afterward. "Sorry I couldn't serve this with your stew originally," the mistress said as she set down the half-loaf. "You were just a bit too early for me to be quite ready for you, but rest assured that I will make sure that you have everything you need!" The girls thanked the kind woman, who then had to put on a stern face for the rest of the guests that were loitering in the dining area. "I'll have the rest of the dinners up in fifteen minutes. That's nearly a half-hour early! Stop your whining!"

Jenny frowned. Emily quietly inquired as to why. "What's wrong?"

"Why serve us early, when we didn't really do anything different than anyone else? I mean, a good portion of those people had just gotten off of a ship too." Jenny then returned to wiping the last bits of her stew with the last bits of her bread.

Emily noticed this, and looked down at her own half-eaten stew and decided to work a little faster. "I don't know, dear. I imagine that they have their reasons."

The mistress of the house was now bustling about with a pair of helpers to get everyone served as quickly as possible. The complaining had stopped as other people got their food. Jenny managed to catch one of the helpers on the way by to order seconds, and gave her the ten zenny that it required. The place was getting louder with various conversations that were getting louder and less coherent due to the orders that the master of the house was taking at the bar. Jenny had to wait until everyone else had their first course before she could get her second helping, but that only translated into another ten minute wait, which let her stomach settle a bit from the way she had eaten the first. She allowed herself to enjoy the second one more than she had the first, and that way when she was finished with it she felt a delightful sufficiency.

Emily had long finished her own dinner, though she had not ordered any more food, being content with the standard portion that she had been given. She had taken to watching the various patrons of the inn enjoying themselves – or not – as they had their own repasts. The two girls didn't really have much of a conversation. Emily found that she enjoyed this part of their friendship the most – the ability to feel companionship despite not actually actively asserting it. Just passively letting it be there; something that was always there no matter what either of them did. After the ordeals that the two had been through, it was the best comfort either could give the other.

Once the two of them were done, they sat there only a moment longer, lingering in the sheer _normalcy_ of relaxing in an inn. But Jenny began to fade visibly, and Emily rose, giving Jenny the excuse needed to rise herself and begin the short trek upstairs to sleep. But they weren't the only ones who stood up then.

Emily and Jenny both noted the group that rose at the same time that they did, but neither did anything until they had blocked the girls' way. "Excuse us," Emily said.

"Well, ho, there, young lady," the one in front slurred. "Where do you think you're goin'?"

"Don't ya think you'll be paying the price of your first class treatment here at our expense, hmm?" another added.

"You were served better than on time," Emily said quietly. "Last warning: Let us pass."

The men laughed. "Our warning? You're outnumbered and outclassed here, missy," the one in front, who seemed to be the leader, spat. "How's about you come with us?"

Emily paused momentarily before she spun toward the men and she suddenly had her scythe pointed between the man's legs, and her face was in his own. "I'm feeling charitable tonight. Last chance, now, knave."

The master was suddenly there. "I do not tolerate fighting in my inn." The guards were next to him, both of which had their blades bare.

Emily backed up a foot and then spun her scythe back into the sheath she had built shortly after the girls' escape from the complex. "We just want to go to -"

"They attacked us!" one of the men insisted. "Did you expect any better from Ascents?!"

The inn suddenly quieted, with the exception of a few gasps.

"You're drunk and delirious," the proprietor said quietly. "I watched the whole thing happen, after all. You were badgering them. Get out of my inn."

"But they're Ascents! Why are you giving them special treatment?!" Most of the men had backed up, but a new leader had revealed himself from the back, and he looked furious.

"Are you aware of what nation is the greatest ally of Romero?" the proprietor asked. Then he shook his head. "Are you aware that attacks on Ascents can become international incidents because of that?"

"We can't allow things like _them_," the man gestured out at the two girls, "to be taking what is rightfully human rights! We had a right to be treated at the same time as them!"

The mistress had appeared, and she was clearly just as furious as the man she was confronting. "These two have clearly been on a difficult journey. Are you taking into account their torn clothing? Perhaps you didn't take into account the state of their packs, which you never saw, but you can see it in their _eyes_." She folded her arms across her chest, but her expression did not change. "They have just come from a place that they were running from something, if I am not mistaken, and given that it's hard to be an Ascent in these times, I'm not surprised."

"Hard to be an Ascent?!" The man was flabbergasted, but the other men had retreated. He was alone. "Ascents have it easy!"

"Get out of my inn."

"What?"

"If you're to be so mindlessly prejudiced against something that doesn't even harm you..." the proprietor continued, but the man was not done.

"I am not mindless!" he snapped. "I am the only one in here with a mind!"

Both of the guards now had their swords pointed squarely at the throat of the man. The one that happened to be closer said, "I think I heard the man to tell you to get out."

The other guard chuckled. "I did too. And _I_ think we're going to have to make you."

The man tried to struggle, but the two armed guards were clearly more than his match. He was thrown out into the cool breeze of the evening. The door was shut in his face and his attempted parting words weren't even heard. The other men had backed into a corner, as they were facing a lecture from the mistress of the house who was clearly _not_ pleased with them. The master of the house looked out at the still silent crowd. "_Some_ people are confused about the propaganda that's been appearing lately. Let me get this straight once and for all: _this_ establishment is to be welcoming to all. _No exceptions_." There was a beat of silence before there was a smattering of applause. One or two tables immediately left, but the majority went back to their meals.

The proprietor turned back to the girls. "I'm sorry you had to deal with that."

Emily bowed her head. "Thank you for your kindness."

The man shrugged. "I hate bigots."

Jenny merely smiled at the man, and then the two women went upstairs. Sleep came quickly....

...but only for Jenny. Emily watched the reflected moonlight play across the ceiling of the room as she pondered on the thought of propaganda. _We may be safer here, but we are not yet safe._

* * *

The following morning dawned quietly. Jenny and Emily were up quickly and downstairs to check out with the innkeeper only shortly after the first rays of dawn had invaded their room through the open window. "We'd be happy to have you back anytime," the master of the house said as the girls left. "I hope you don't figure us all to be like that one guy..." Then the door was closed.

"But we have to treat everyone with that amount of caution," Jenny said quietly to Emily as they started their way up the fairly deserted street.

Emily nodded. She wasn't being nearly as careful about her eyes as she had the day before, but her hood remained up. "Because a single one of those guys _not_ being treated as such from the very beginning could lead to our capture." She sighed. "Just the barest bit of humanity in this area is like that, but even that is enough that we aren't completely safe here. It'll be better in Wyndia... that place is a haven for Ascents."

"You told me that," Jenny reminded her friend, smiling. "Where the Royal Family and most of the nobility are made up of the Wyndian Clan. You really think they have all the information about my own Clan?"

"They're the _only _group that has any kind of decent information on the Dragon Clan, dear," Emily said. "The only things I know about the Clan are what I learned when they came through the Fire Shrine, and that admittedly isn't all that much."

Jenny nodded. "You know that they live in a hidden village somewhere in the lands of Wyndia, and that they have two pilgrimages outside of the hidden lands before they become an adult, but once they're adults they can be found scattered around the world in addition to the village. The village is mostly for the young ones." She shook her head to the question that Emily was about to ask. "No, I haven't derived any more memories from that yet. They all ring bells in my mind, but nothing that brought out anything else from the darkness. Not even memories that would merely confirm any of that so far."

Emily nodded. "And that's no help, as you could have been captured long before you were an adult, for all you know."

Jenny nodded. "I really hope we can find the necessary information in Wyndia."

Emily stopped and held her companion's shoulders. They were outside the city gates now, on the road that wound toward the forest that stood throughout most of Romero. "We will. All the information we need for you is there. All we need to do is find it."

Jenny smiled. "Thank you."

"Aw, isn't that sweet."

At the new voice, Emily spun into a ready position. Somehow, right in front of them were two men; the one behind was the one from the previous night, while the one in the front was the one that had spoken. "Ah, did I scare you? Such a shame." He chuckled to himself. The man behind looked subdued and said nothing, which was a significant departure from the previous day.

Emily had now separated from Jenny slightly; they were now far enough away from each other that dropping their packs and drawing their weapons would be quick and would not have a chance of hitting the other. "What do you want?" Emily challenged.

"I want to know if _you_ are a particular pair of our escapees I'm supposed to be looking for," the man in front said, taking out a small piece of paper from his pocket. His eyes flicked from the paper to the two girls in front of him. "You look close enough. Did you really just get to this continent?"

"I really don't think that's any business of yours," Jenny said calmly, but inside her stomach was roiling. This man was _precisely_ the person that they had been trying to avoid this whole time!

The man rolled his eyes. "You may be who I'm looking for, you may not. I can't tell from the information I have here... but you will make a good test and punishment for my friend here." He reached behind him and shoved the man from the inn the previous evening in front of him. "How about you prove to me that you're worth keeping around, hmm?"

The man slowly drew the sword that he had sheathed on his back, and the girls quickly spun into combat ready positions. The girls' packs fell to the road with a series of clunks. The man who was now in back laughed; it was not a pleasant sound. "I'll support you by giving you a little... shall we say... 'enhancement.'" Magic flew from his outstretched fingertips and struck the man in front of him squarely in the back, who immediately began to scream. His sword lay forgotten in on the stone beside him.

His body faded to white before returning in a monstrous green form that was... well, the only good word was 'grotesque.' Claws, an oversized jaw... the man had become monstrous. The man behind him tsked. "Such a shame; another failed experiment. Oh well. Good luck!" He sing-songed the last bit before disappearing in a flash of light, waving his fingers at the girls.

"I don't like him much," Jenny remarked as she watched the green monster in front of them warily.

"Let's get rid of this thing," Emily said, and when she took a single step forward, the monster charged. Emily pivoted hard to one side and brought her weapon to bear on the monster, who had to duck out of the way, wasting the charge and ending up on the other side of the girls. Jenny was immediately there, getting a good stab into the bloated green flesh and pushing the monster further away from them. It roared in obvious pain, but when Jenny pulled out her spear in order to make another attempt at it, the monster roared and took a swipe at her with its claws. Her clothes took a graze, but she was fast enough to avoid most of the blow.

Emily was back to take her place in the fray now, but her swing was ducked again. The monster used the opportunity to attempt another claw swipe, this time blocked by Emily managing to bring her scythe the rest of the way around. The monster's response to being blocked again was to disengage momentarily, merely to take a big breath in and exhale a gout of flame at the two girls.

Unable to merely shrug off such an attack, Jenny fell to the ground, dropping her weapon to the now hot stone. Emily, however, pushed through the onslaught and managed to get a solid hit into the gut of the monster. The monster stopped the breath attack at this point and attempted another claw strike at Emily, which forced her to disengage, but gave Jenny the time she needed to recover her weapon and her feet. While the monster was clearly bleeding from multiple severe wounds, it didn't seem to be slowed by them. It was taking in another breath, this time to fire multiple balls of magic from its mouth. Both girls dove for safety this time.

The monster roared a challenge and charged again, going straight for Jenny, who decided against meeting the charge with spear up, as she wasn't sure any wound that didn't kill the thing outright would stop such a charge from gutting her. She instead brought up her off hand and fired a ball of magical energy that was as black as the energy that the monster had fired was white. It struck the monster directly in the chest, slowing the charge considerably, letting Jenny deflect the wild slash of claws with the blade of her spear. Jenny and the monster circled each other for a moment before Emily managed to get behind the monster and slice of one of its legs, making it tumble into a heap at their feet.

Jenny wasted no time joining her in the slaughter, stabbing her spear into where she thought vital organs would be, though she was just guessing, as Emily flicked her scythe around to disconnect the head from the body. The instant the head was disconnected, there was an unearthly scream that emitted from the head, and the monster's body and head both faded to white and became bright enough to be blinding. Both girls shaded their eyes with their off hands as they stood back from the corpse. After a few moments, the light faded and there was no longer anything laying on the grass where the monster had fallen.

Both girls were breathing heavily, but they quickly went back to their packs and began to put them back on. Having had to do this on numerous occasions in the past year and change, the girls were very efficient with their packs despite having dropped them to the flagstones with abandon when they knew that they would have to fight. They didn't need to speak once they were both ready, either, they just continued along their path at a brisk pace as traffic began to increase toward them from the city. They were not safe yet; they had to be just as careful here as they had been anywhere. The mountains of Wyndia, however, looked inviting in the distance.


	40. III:2: On the Road Again

**Act III: Adulthood  
Chapter 2: On the Road Again  
Party: Ryu, Luna**

Wyndia was never quite asleep, but the hours right before dawn had the fewest people around. Some were stumbling back home after a night of drinking, trying to beat the sun's rays to their bedsheets. Others had awoken far earlier than anyone sane in order to get things done before the crowds flooded the city streets once again. Ryu thought either was nuts. He didn't particularly like being up at that time himself, but leaving without prying eyes would require some… interesting… measures.

"Remind me again why we're wearing these cloaks?" Luna queried quietly, picking at her left sleeve with her right hand.

Ryu smacked the back of her hand lightly. "So that casual observers can't tell people what we look like." He then chuckled. "Plus, you said that it's easier to maintain human form in the moonlight when your head is covered."

Luna gave him a look. "I wasn't allowed to leave the Castle until I was so good I could do it naked."

Ryu blanched. "I really didn't need to be reminded of that."

Luna acquired a smirk and pressed her advantage. "Nina came down to needle me that one time. It was probably the only time that you let the two of us be together without your supervision-"

"You were _naked_."

"-so we took advantage of it and blew each others' brains out."

"That was the night you failed."

"I wanted to bite her."

Ryu sighed.

"Besides," Luna continued, "I wasn't going to be leaving the Castle anytime before you did. Just because I was cleared at eighteen didn't mean that it was time for me to leave. I was waiting for you. I could take my time in passing that last ridiculous test."

Bickering companionably, though at a reasonable volume for the hour, the two Ascents made their way down to the end of the main street through the city proper. The elevator stood there, guarded by a squad of Wyndian Knights. The Captain on duty had been warned about the two and gave the order for them to be let through. Luna and Ryu boarded the elevator without comment and rode it down to the mountaintop.

"I still can't take it off?" Luna asked as the elevator shuttled them down and toward the destination peak.

"Not yet. Still that other guard squad that's in the new guardhouse on the mountain to pass."

Luna squinted down at the peak. Sure enough, there was a guardhouse built into the crags. "I hadn't thought there would be enough space to have one."

"It's magic." This earned Ryu another shove.

The two settled down as the elevator came to a stop on the flat portion of the mountain peak. Ryu nodded his thanks to the guard that saw them off and started the elevator back up toward the floating city. He didn't pay the two much mind, just yawned and did his job. What a boring shift he must have. Ryu and Luna quickly made their way down the mountain path.

The instant that they were out of sight of the guardhouse, Luna glanced back to confirm it, then pulled her hood down and stretched. "Ah, the moonlight feels good."

Ryu similarly lowered his hood and turned around to face Luna where she had stopped to stretch. "You know, it's still strange to hear you say that."

"It's still strange to be able to talk while I'm in it," Luna replied, finishing her stretch and letting her arms swing back and forth at her sides.

"Well, we'll be getting out of it and into the caves in a moment," Ryu said. "We should get a move on. We've only barely begun."

Luna nodded, and the two set off down the mountain path. The caves were only one peak over, and so it didn't take them long to reach them. The stroll was mostly pleasant, with only a couple monsters trying to harry them. Apparently even they thought it was too early to be up and about.

The inside of the cave was as both of the travelers remembered it. The monster population had shifted again in the time that Ryu had spent in Wyndia, but there was nothing that the two Ascents couldn't handle easily. Ryu's swordplay had gotten to the point that he rarely was sttuck by any attack he could block or deflect. He took the brunt of attacks while Luna remained in the back with her bow and magical spells. Her latest two included a magical strike that quickly slammed into targets, and the ability to make it hail anywhere. Ryu, for his part, had also gained a spell that did severe damage to undead targets, which was the only spell that he was using in this trip through the caves. The ghosts that were attacking them never knew what hit them.

Ryu lead the way, as he was the one that had been through the caves the most recently, and he had gone over the route with James just the previous day, when he had been packing and doing other last-minute preparations for his journey. Luna was happy to follow and kill things. Heck, Luna was just _happy_. Ryu didn't really need to ask why; her mood had instantly taken a giddy mood once they were out of sight of the guardhouse, able to see things other than the city. And she liked being able to fight without holding her magic back at all. And they would be even farther away from the Princess. Really, it was a perfect situation for the young lady, and she was reveling in it.

The two Ascents headed downward and downward through the network of caves that ran through several of the mountains which surrounded the floating city of Wyndia. They finally emerged at the foot of the mountain which was the entrance to Wyndia from Romero... and vice versa. Day had broken, and the blue sky stretched out forever without even a bit of white to break it. Luna smiled up at the sky. "A good day to head out on a journey."

Ryu looked up as well. "I'd have to agree with you." He looked over at his partner. "Shall we?"

There was still a soldier posted at the camp that Romero kept at the entrance to the cave, but it was not the same soldier that had been there when Ryu had passed the other way three years before. He didn't recognize either of the Ascents, but he apparently had been warned about the possibility of a pair of Agents coming through this morning, and he didn't delay them long; just a signature each. Then the two Ascents were on their way again, this time through the rolling hills of eastern Romero.

Having not dealt with the monsters that resided among the foothills of the Wyndy Mountains last time Ryu was through here, he didn't have any comparison to how they had changed in the past few years. Regardless, neither Luna nor Ryu had any real troubles with them, using the same strategies that they had been using against the monsters that resided in the caves. Examples of the local wildlife included Bullas, Warthogs and Shrooms. All of which fell easily to Ryu's blade, an arrow from Luna's bow, or a spell from either.

The pair of Ascents reached the port town of Nanai, which Ryu vaguely remembered being in for something like an hour three years ago, just as the afternoon started to fade into evening. It was a good stopping point, so the two located an inn and reserved a room for the night and went out to visit some of the shops to see if there were any supplies sold there that might be useful on their journey in the West.

While at the local weapons shop, after both Ryu and Luna had determined that there was no need to replace their weapons (though Luna had purchased a few more arrows), a little blur flew out of the store quickly with a rush of air. Luna and Ryu stood blinking at what they had seen and were still trying to determine what precisely that had been when the shop owner yelled, "Hey! You need to pay for that!"

This gave the Ascents a pretty good idea of what had gone on. "Do you have problems with theft here in Nanai, sir?" Ryu asked.

The shopowner sighed. "Not really. Every city has to deal with their share of street urchins and the like. Normally I'm a little better about spotting these kids before they're able to get their grubby hands on anything." He had turned to check through the display that had the knife that was now missing. "Looks like he just took a bread knife, though. Not a huge deal, but still a loss of zenny. I wonder what he wanted it for?"

Ryu thanked the man for his time. Once Ryu and Luna had finished t he rest of their shopping, they returned to the inn. Once they were ensconced in their room, Luna said, "We don't have the time to do anything about them, do we?"

Ryu shook his head. "Not right now, no. But we'll be back in Romero soon enough. Wyndia's home, after all, and the best way to get from the West back to the East is through Romero."

Luna sighed. "Dammit." But she didn't say anything else about it, for which Ryu was grateful. He didn't want to deal with an argument about something that Luna cared greatly about.

Both Ascents slept well and woke up the next morning refreshed and ready to go. The ship that they had passage on left before dawn, and both Ascents' bodies were okay with getting up early again since they both had gone to bed early as well. Ryu and Luna made it on to the ship with no complications and they were off to sea pretty quickly after that.

The oceans separating the three main continents of the civilized world were an interesting combination of bodies of water. In the north, the Northern Ocean was the ocean that lay between all of the continents. Just to the south, directly between the East and West continents, was the Muddy Ocean, which could only be traveled by mud ships. It was a harder and longer journey to go that way, though it was often cheaper than passage with a larger ship that required deeper water but was faster and more reliable. Between the two peninsulas of the Eastern continent was the Inner Sea, which was where Prima and most of the Manillo were settled. The water there was generally only traveled by Manillo-approved vessels, which only drove up the price of going the way Ryu and Luna were going.

Their strategy was to take a larger and faster ship down south through most of the Inner Sea and then bear southwest in order to miss the mud flats by about a mile and sail across the Southern Ocean. The Southern Ocean seemed to go forever in all directions but north. Neither continent bound it too much, though the East had the Desert that was in the way of part of it, but other than that it was a free and unbounded body of water. Only the bravest of explorers attempted to go too far afield riding its gentle waves, but few were ever heard from again and fewer had stories of the world beyond the three known continents.

The maneuver of sailing along the Southern Ocean's northern edge was a common way for the more affluent intercontinental travelers to get from one continent to the other without risking a vessel being run aground in the mud that was very near the surface of the 'shortest' route from one continent to the other.

The journey would take four full days. Most of Ryu and Luna's supplies of fresh food were for the crossing; they could purchase more food on the other side. The first day, the day that had them sailing south on the Inner Sea was completely uneventful, but the evening hours right before the two Ascents were going to attempt to sleep in the rocking hold, a guest joined the passengers aboard the ship. Right about when the ship was passing nearby Prima (or at least, as near as any human-owned ship was allowed to get).

"Rigen!" Ryu shouted happily as the Manillo made it onto the deck.

The Water Ascent looked over at the source of the voice and smiled. "Well if it isn't the young Dragon! And all grown up to!" He immediately noticed the interested look on Luna's face and the way that she walked up to Ryu when he called out. "Oh, and you have a lovely lady with you as well! Aren't you the lucky one! From the human Agent to the Princess of Wyndia to this lovely young..." he was about to take Luna's hand to kiss it when Luna stopped him.

"You touch me and you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

"She's even feisty!" Rigen said approvingly, which caused Luna's eyebrows to rise. "You do have all the luck, young Dragon."

Ryu tried to stammer out a reply, but failed rather miserably. Luna came to his rescue. "I don't think it has anything to do with luck. Ryu's my friend, and the Princess's friend too, much as I dislike her myself." She leaned up toward Rigen, who leaned back slightly, perturbed. "And he doesn't flirt outrageously with anything female that moves."

Rigen turned to regard Ryu. "Are you sure you can't give me any of your luck?"

"Can we talk about something else?!" Ryu exploded, his arms gesticulating more than usual.

Luna snickered, but obliged. "I'll let the two of you catch up. I'll be in my bunk." With that, the nineteen-year-old went over to the entrance to the hold and went down.

"I really..." Rigen began, but Ryu cut him off.

"What are you doing on the ship, Rigen?"

Rigen shrugged. "I'm on here to indicate to the Captain that he still needs to be stationary while we exchange some goods with him." With amazing timing, another Manillo hopped onto the deck behind Rigen where Ryu could see carrying a parcel. He hurried over to the hold and then out of sight. "It's the requirement we give for using our waterways, that they stop and allow trade at Prima. Most human vessels jump at the chance, as it's really a win-win situation. A Manillo is always nearby the ship while its in our waters, but we only actively deal with the ship when trading or when they're violating the terms of the agreement."

"I see," Ryu said. "So you'll be headed back to Prima in a few minutes, then."

"Yes," Rigen replied. Then he thought for a moment. "I don't think I should leave you empty handed, though." He reached into his water-travel pack. When he pulled out a pair of gills, Ryu's eyebrows rose. "You should have these."

"Aren't those extremely expensive, Rigen?"

"Yes," came the reply. "Of course they are; they provide a unique ability normally limited to my people. But you might find a use for it on your journey... and knowing the kinds of things that you wish to find out, let's just say I have a vested interest in your success." He reached out, holding the gills for Ryu to take them.

Ryu did, tentatively. "Thank you very much. I don't know what you think I'll end up using them for..."

"You may find them useful. I want you to succeed, and only the Gods know what you'll need in order to do so." Rigen looked around, noticed that the last stragglers of Manillo were getting off the boat for the last time, and he leaned in to Ryu and whispered. "Don't forget to tell your lady friend who gave them to you."

Ryu shoved him overboard. He fell back laughing into the spray, and the ship unfolded its sails once more.

That night the ship turned west and headed straight toward the Western Continent. Ryu slept well, though Luna woke up early and could not get back to sleep. When Ryu found her in the morning, bleary-eyed and looking out toward the north where the Muddy Ocean was barely visible under the horizon if you squinted, she was silent on her overnight ordeal. "I don't want to talk about it." The only seven words Ryu got out of her on the subject.

At one point that day, Ryu told Luna about Rigen's gift the night before. Luna shook her head in wonder at the sheer gall that the Manillo had, while Ryu shrugged. "It'll be useful," he said, "if we ever get into a situation where we need to escape in the water. Maybe something neither of us can think of right now."

Luna sighed. "You're probably right, though I can't help but be distrustful of things that come from him."

"I've used these things before," Ryu said. "They were very helpful, and they work great for any sort of water exploration you want to do. Never had any problem with them. And he's right; our... unofficial mission... is something that he'd like to see succeed too."

Luna snorted. "Then why didn't he do anything about it himself? Why has everyone waited until we, the most affected by all of this-" Ryu was used to Luna using inappropriate words, so he didn't even react to this one - "grow up and can take care of it ourselves? Why is everyone else just sitting around and letting all of this happen?"

"I don't know," was the only answer the Ryu could give.

The rest of the day passed in quiet monotony. Ryu was thankful for the fresh sea breeze, as that was the only thing that made the journey comfortable. Luna stayed on the deck during the day, and then headed into the hold just as the sunset's red rays started to fade from the expansive sky. Ryu liked to stay on the deck until the breeze became too cold to bear and the light from the sun was completely gone before he also headed down into the hold for sleep. The few other passengers that were present on the ship kept to themselves, and Ryu decided it was best not to bother them.

The rest of the journey was like that too. Quiet monotony, a sea breeze and a stable routine. It was a relief to Ryu when Luna's latest quiet complaint was interrupted by the lookout's loud cry that indicated land was in sight. Luna then rushed to the bow, the only time she ever got that close to the front of the ship, and stared hard at the horizon. She turned around and said to Ryu, "I don't see it yet."

Ryu laughed. "That's why we have somebody up there," he pointed up to the crow's nest, "who can tell us when something is coming before that thing can be seen from down here."

Luna looked up at the crow's nest, and studied the rope ladders that would be used by the crew to get up and down the ship. "He's very brave," she said, which set off Ryu again. She tried to hit him, but he dodged into the hold. He was going to prepare their packs, and it was better to be out of the way of the crew when they were scrambling around the ship raising this, lowering that, untying this line and moving it over there... it was just better to be out of the way. Luna chasing him only helped him get her out of the way of the crew too.

The two Ascents were ready to disembark the instant the gangplank was down. The buildings in the port town of Sonne were of a different style than either of the Ascents had seen before, but they didn't have time to gawk while they were still on the dock. The many dockworkers mixed in with the crews of quite a few ships that were berthed there, and Ryu and Luna climbed their way up to the city proper as quickly as they could. They didn't want to be in the way of anyone if they could help it. Just a normal pair of travelers, out for a vacation before they settled down. That was their cover story.

While the two stopped for supplies in a few shops, such as fresh food supplies that they were completely out of, they did not linger in town. The sun was still high enough in the sky that they could get a decent amount of ground covered before nightfall. Once they felt that they had sufficient supplies for a while, they embarked on the old Imperial Highway that led from the coast to the old Imperial capital of Chedo. Of course, the Fou-Lu Empire had fallen quite a few years ago; the only things that still remained of the Empire were names. Cities, rivers, roads: most of the aspects of the land, particularly in the southern half of the continent where the old capital sat, kept their old names through the ages. It was sort of a testament to how long the Empire had lasted in the old days.

Now, however, Chedo was simply the largest city in the southernmost nation of Scande, though it was not the capital. That was reserved for Soma, which also lay on the Imperial Highway. However, at the time of the fall of the Empire, Soma had been abandoned. It was only afterward, during the aftermath and bloody civil war that fragmented the former mighty Empire, that Chedo had been rendered nearly uninhabitable, particularly the area of the Imperial Palace. Then a good portion of the people, and the leaders of the movement that had control of the area at the time, moved to Soma, settling the place. Soma had never grown to the size that Chedo still was, but the active parts of each city were comparable in size. Recently there had been some noise about moving the capital back, even to the point of building a palace to support the ruling class of Scande... but they hadn't moved it. Politically, Chedo remained only a representation of the old Empire, nothing more.

But Chedo, not the capital of Scande, was where the Ascents were bound. _One is hidden among the lost Old World._ The clues that Ladon had given Ryu about where to find the shrines that he needed to find were ringing in his head even three years later. Chedo had the Black Citadel: the abandoned portion of the Imperial Capital. Monsters roamed the streets and even inside the buildings such as the Imperial Palace itself. Not much was known about what happened on the other side of the guarded mid-city walls, but brave and foolhardy adventurers were known to brave the monster-infested streets to attempt to find things out. They had not, as of yet, been very successful.

All of this was common knowledge even as far away as the halls of Wyndia Castle, where Luna and Ryu had found the most promising place to start their search long before they had begun their journey. Both were confident about this assessment, and it showed in their strides as they made their way down the crowded Imperial Highway. The Imperial Highway was the most often used road in Scande, and the army made sure that it was safe for the common folk to travel along it. No monsters were allowed to stray too near the paved stones that even the ruling party travelled along when they needed to get somewhere. Thus, the day's walking trip was just as uneventful as the early day's sailing one.

The Ascents set up their tent to one side of the road, but within the protected area, and ate a repast of the freshest fruit and meat that they had bought in town that day. Once full, they settled down to a long and restful sleep.

The next day, they'd be able to reach Chedo if they hurried a bit. Their journey would really be underway when they managed to get there. And they would need all of their energy if they were to succeed at either of their goals. Ryu only hoped that being off the ship would give Luna the ability to sleep through the night again.


	41. III:3: Regicide

**Act III: Adulthood**

**Chapter 3: Regicide**

**Party: Jenny, Emily**

Karma was a very oddly situated city.

Upon reaching the large clearing in which the city was built, four eyes were drawn upwards by the three towers that made up most of the cityscape. While there were some stalls and shops that were visible on the small amount of paved area, the grand majority of the city activities were in the towers. The maze-like set up seemed to be no obstacle for the hawkers or the crowds, other than possibly making it even harder than on wider city streets to get anywhere. Jenny wondered idly whose idea the city set-up had been, and whether it would be moral to kill them.

Probably not, but the thought made her feel a little better about being more crushed against the great unwashed than even the other crazy cities she had been in since the escape.

Emily was on one side of her, and she found that she was far more willing to lean into her than any sort of city dweller that ended up pressed against another side. Emily seemed to be of the same mind, and the two of them tried pushing through the crowd as best they could. Finding an inn seemed overly silly in the town; where would there be space?

In total, the pair had been inside one tower for about an hour before they gave up on getting anything useful or a decent night's sleep with all of the crowds. They moved on, and were a good league away in the forest before nightfall and set up the tent again.

Emily had purchased the tent while the pair had been in one of the first cities that they had hidden in on the other continent. It had been well-loved since, especially given all of the ground that they had covered and the nights spent under the stars. They only hadn't used it when they were in towns because they relished the chance to sleep in a bed when they had the opportunity. Bedrolls, however, were still better than what they had back in the… dungeon. And anything outside _there _was better than the crush inside Karma.

The forest paths had been relatively peaceful, even though the Romeron guards were few and far between. Most of those who could fight were out on the Eastern Front, making sure that Tantar didn't try anything. Jenny had thought that it was silly to think that the nation was going to try something while they were busy with Wyndia at the same time, but it mattered little to her beyond a few encounters with some monsters on the road that the guards might have turned away before letting them reach the road.

Still, it was relatively safe to set up the tent and have each of them take a watch. It wasn't ideal, but it would work well enough. Emily drew first watch and had been out stoking the fire for a good hour as she let her eyes scan the trees around the camp before Jenny came back out of the tent.

"Can't sleep?" Emily said without deviating from her task.

"No."

"Thinking about… them?"

"What else?"

Emily sighed. "I know we hoped to stop running into anything that even resembled them on this continent, but it seems that they're more connected than we thought they were."

"And you're sure that Wyndia won't have them?"

"Not as long as it remains Wyndia," Emily replied, finally glancing back at her companion. "The whole Royal Family _are_ Wyndian Ascents, as are the entirety of the nobility. If an Ascent needs help, the easiest place has always been the Wyndian Court. I can't imagine they'd be too lenient on someone attempting any sort of campaign against the interests of any Ascent. The humans in Wyndia are generally of the same mind, too, or it wouldn't have worked out to be such a rich country for these many years."

"But we were pretty sure about Romero too…"

"While Romero is a longtime ally of Wyndia, it's never been _because_ of the Ascent-nature of the country; it's always been because of the Tantaran Empire being a bit of a threat to both nations. Ever since Tantar decided to go on that campaign… being the largest country with the largest army on the continent isn't something that's going to win you any friends." Emily sighed. "Besides, the most likely place for you to find any answers is in Wyndia. I can only hope we find the place; I was never keyed into the illusion, so I might want to walk right past it, and you don't remember where it is."

"Right, so we're depending on the King of Wyndia."

"He'll help us," Emily said, returning her gaze to the forest. "He has to."

Jenny didn't have a response.

~***~

Traveling through the rest of the Romeron forest was uneventful, other than a few monstrous incursions to the women's personal space. After their journey thus far, the monsters didn't pose a threat to them at all, and were largely a mere bump in the road for them. It was nearing sunset by the time the girls reached the cave that was the only good way to go from Romero to Wyndia by foot without touching Tantar.

"In we go?"

"Tired?"

"Not even a little."

"In we go."

The cave was long and winding, cold and wet. Even with the fireball that Emily was using as their light source, it didn't suck out enough of the moisture in the air for it to be even remotely comfortable. The path curved up and up, hiding the monsters that were roaming around corners and in intersections. Emily seemed to know her way through the twists and turns though, and Jenny, as usual, let her partner lead the way through places she had no memories of – whether she had seen them before or not.

After some time – likely a matter of an hour or so – the pair came to an intersection that had a large archway on one side that lead into a large cavern beyond. Wind could be heard winding through the passage in that direction and the flame in Emily's hand bent away from it. Emily continued right past the location, but Jenny stopped and stared. Before Emily made it around the corner and up yet another incline, she noticed that her companion had come to a halt behind her. She turned and regarded Jenny, who seemed to be completely enraptured by something.

Emily was terribly afraid of waking Jenny from her reverie, so she walked quietly over and looked at what her companion seemed to be scrutinizing. It was the large cavern beyond the arch. Emily knew nothing about this place. She also knew that there was no real reason to hurry her companion, other than possibly a particularly dangerous monster, so she decided the best course of action was to let Jenny snap out of the trance she was in on her own. She did moments later, looking instead at her companion.

Emily immediately broke the silence. "What?"

"I feel like this place… calls me… somehow." Her voice was low and Emily only heard it well because she was standing next to her. Jenny also sounded… wistful?

"Did it remind you of anything?"

There was a moment of silence before Jenny shook her head. "No. No memories gained. Just… loss?" Jenny sighed. "Not that I haven't felt _that_ before. Let's go."

Emily decided that moving on was the best option, but noted in the back of her mind that if worse came to worst for Jenny's journey, this archway and what lay beyond it would be a place to come back to. Assuming only that they never found something that resembled a clue. It wasn't a pleasant thought, but since she actually managed to keep her memories through the ordeal, she thought that it was only right that she take on the harder burdens of this journey rather than Jenny.

The two women continued onward and upward through the caves.

More hours and more fallen monsters past, and soon enough the caves widened and widened again before opening out onto a mountainside. Emily immediately turned to head up the mountain path. Jenny groaned. "More climbing?"

Emily grinned back at her. "A floating island, remember? Hard to get there by going down." Jenny rolled her eyes, but followed the other girl up. The women wound around a couple mountains, winding up in much the same way as they had in the caves, only more light and some snow were involved. And different monsters too, but they remained more a nuisance than a threat to the adept Ascents. It was the dawn twilight that provided the extra light, and the sun still had not risen by the time the floating island that housed the city of Wyndia came into sight.

Emily was staring at it, even as the pair continued to climb the last rise of the path. Jenny noticed immediately. "What is it?"

"Something's different about the city, but I don't…" her voice trailed off, hard to hear in the stiff breeze through the mountain range. Jenny frowned. Something was wrong? Her own eyes sought the floating isle and went over it. There were some flashes coming, but magic was used daily in most places without too much fuss, particularly in Wyndia if she could believe her companion, but Emily was right, there was something that was out of place.

"There's smoke!" Jenny whispered, alarmed..

Emily's eyes widened as she made the connection. "There are buildings on fire? I can help with that." Immediately came the flash of light of an Ascent transformation. Apparently Emily had decided that there was no time to waste about this task. A red and golden phoenix was in her place, taking to the air and landing on Jenny's shoulder just long enough for Jenny to brace herself before lifting her up into the air and carrying her along on the flight.

Almost instantly, it became apparent that something more was going on here than a fire. "Reinforcements?!"

"They're not Tantaran!"

"Shoot them down! Archers! Aim!"

Jenny swung her head around and identified a group of soldiers standing next to a platform at the top of the rise that she and Emily had been climbing. They were wearing green, not blue, the primary color of Wyndia. _They're Tantaran? _Jenny screamed. "Emily!"

"Loose!"

Arrows flew into the air, and Jenny felt the bird weave through the air currents as best she could to change positions drastically in the time it took for the arrows to reach them. One arrow was on the right trajectory anyway, but Jenny shot it down with one of her Dark Blasts. Emily found an updraft that carried them further away from the archers.

"They're Ascents!"

"How else would they be flying, maggot?"

"Archers! Aim!"

Emily prepared.

"Loose!"

Emily dodged again, this time doing better, but the archers were also more prepared. Jenny found that she had to shoot down even more arrows with her spells. However, this time Emily had carried them out of the archers' range. Jenny turned her head to look at the city, which was now much closer and growing in her field of vision. The smoke was more obviously from already destroyed buildings rather than savable ones, though there were a couple still aflame. The flashes of magical spells were randomly dispersed throughout the city.

"I think we're dropping ourselves in the middle of a battle rather than a short firefighting side-trip."

Emily screeched once, and Jenny unlimbered her spear… though that took her far longer than it usually did, with all the packs and stuff still on her back. It was in time such that she was armed when the phoenix started flying her over the city proper.

What she saw scared her.

Various people were fighting in the streets. Other than the Wyndian Knights and the occasional green-clad Tantaran soldier, there were a lot of people in no sort of uniform fighting on both sides. _Spies and residents? Just Tantarans out of uniform and residents? _ Jenny thought, but that made anything that the Ascents would do far more complicated than it could be. But what should be their goal? Fighting a fire would be inefficient as far as helping people was concerned… would fighting here be a good idea? They were here for answers, after all. They needed to see the King.

"To the Castle!" Jenny shouted, and Emily cawed (Jenny hoped in agreement). Emily took them higher, partially to get out of arrowshot and partly to be less noticeable. It didn't work especially well, as the wind currents above a floating isle weren't too easy to predict for someone who'd never flown them before. Very few of those who had the ability to reach them up there noticed, however. Jenny didn't have to work too hard to keep the ones that could make the Ascents' lives a little harder concentrating on something else (like, in one case, a hole in his chest).

The gates of Castle Wyndia were broken, but a knot of blue-clad Wyndian Knights were still holding the opening well enough. One knight slightly behind the melee looked up and spotted the approaching phoenix and passenger. He called out to them, but they couldn't hear him over the tumult. "Emily! I think he wants to talk to us!" Emily banked, bringing them in just close enough to the man to be heard, but not close enough that any weapons could be used without charging first.

"That's a Phoenix Ascent, right?" he asked the instant they touched down.

"Yes," Jenny replied. "We came to see the King-"

"That will have to wait," the guard said, cutting her off. "While most of the Royal Guard is down here keeping this riffraff out of the Castle, there're others up in the Royal Wing protecting the King and Queen. Since you can fly, if you could make sure that they get no surprises from another front," he waved his arm indicating the air, "I'd really appreciate it."

The phoenix nodded once when Jenny glanced at her. "Put in a good word for us?" Jenny asked as Emily lifted her off again. She couldn't hear the reply, but the crisp salute that followed it was telling. Jenny copied it as best she could before turning her attention on the Castle. "Do you know where the Royal Wing is?" she asked her companion. A glance confirmed that the bird was nodding again, and Jenny scanned the outside of the Castle. "Let me know when we're staring at it."

The Castle was, of course, an impressive building, especially considering that it was untouched as far as the chaos of the city outside the gates. Wider than Jenny cared to measure in her head and at the very least ten stories tall in a good number of places. As she swept her eyes over to her left, the phoenix let out a caw when her head was pointed at a particular protrusion on that side, probably twelve stories above the ground rather than ten. It also was toward the other side of the building, meaning that it was one of the more far away parts. "That's it?" Jenny asked, pointing at the portion that had taken her attention. Another caw.

They approached as quickly as Emily could manage in the wind currents. When they passed over the Castle, Jenny's eyes locked onto a particular window. It was the only one open, and a man was holding another man dangling outside. Emily must have spotted it too, as she immediately started a dive toward the window, and Jenny started charging a spell with one hand and prepared to grasp with the other. The man hanging was in the blue of the Wyndian Knights while the man holding him out of the window wore no uniform or marking. Jenny didn't even think about it. As soon as they were close enough she fired a Dark Blast with her right hand, snagged the Knight's wrist before he fell from the man's grip as he fell backward in pain, and Emily flew the both of them through the window and into the room.

Chaos reigned momentarily as two objects with a rather extreme velocity slammed into the room and one of them transformed into something bigger. Emily immediately had her scythe to bear on another man and Jenny wasted no time gutting the man she had struck. The soldier she dropped on the floor of the room didn't move, but the rest of the occupants of the room blurred into motion. There were, in the end, only four of them taken by surprise, but in the small confines it felt like more than that. Once they had fallen, Emily checked the soldier's pulse. She never found it. The one furnishing in the room, a table which apparently had held maps on it, was overturned and cracked in half. Papers were strewn about seemingly randomly.

"How are they in the Castle?" Jenny asked, before opening the door to check the hallway.

"I don't know," Emily replied, getting up. "But we need to find the King."

Jenny was mightily confused, but the adrenaline still pumping made her want to keep moving, keep doing _something_ that might be productive here. "Alright." She hadn't seen anything or anyone in the hallway, so they exited the room and Emily lead the way toward the staircase. "Do you know where he would be?"

"Near the top, I would think," Emily answered. "I'm only guessing, but intuition is all I've got to go on here." Jenny decided it was just best to follow.

Up two flights of stairs to where there were no longer any more stairs, and they found themselves in a large hallway decorated with tables, art, banners… and everything before the grand doors dead center in the hall were upended or destroyed. No sounds came from inside the room, even as Emily and Jenny listened at the door. They decided that their safety was more important than knocking and opened the door quickly and spun into ready stances to face…

No movement at all.

A man in an ornate robe lay in the center of the bed, a bloody mass instead of a torso. Similar pictures were lying around the bed in various states, all in Wyndian uniform. It was obvious that there were now only two living people in the room, and they had just entered. Emily let out a gusty sigh. "Dammit."

"What now?" Jenny asked, looking around at the destruction in the room.

Emily's face had hardened considerably. "We find a few more to kill. Then maybe we can find out if the Queen's alive. Or whoever might be in charge now."

Jenny could hardly object to this plan, though she didn't have the anger about it that Emily clearly had. Maybe she would, if she knew.

Emily led the way out of the room, down many stairs and into the main area of the Castle. The courtyard was strangely deserted; sounds of fighting could still be heard, but no one was in the central courtyard of the Castle. Emily and Jenny hurried through and made it out to the front gate quickly, Emily knowing her way around.

The Royal Guard had managed to establish better control of the line at the Castle Gate. The same guard that the Ascents had talked to upon arriving spotted them quickly and ran swiftly to meet them. "Nothing from the air?"

Emily shook her head. "No… they were already…" she couldn't finish.

"The King is dead," Jenny decided to be blunt, as it would hurry things. "We don't think they came from the air, but they somehow got past your line anyway."

The Guard closed his eyes. "I knew he was under attack, but I did not know that he had fallen." The eyes opened. "The Queen?"

"Nowhere in sight," Emily replied.

"Then she's probably meaning to escape through the tunnels with the rest of the Guard. With the Prince and Princess away at forts…" He shook his head. "There's no use talking about what's next yet. Do you think you could help us a little longer?"

"Can you tell us where Princess Nina is? She's the eldest child, right?" Emily asked.

"She is. She's down at our southern fort along the river border, leading the battle down there. Given the news that's been coming from there, she's probably in a more stable situation than here, but after getting suddenly attacked on a floating island… I wouldn't guarantee anything. You need to see someone in the Royal Family?"

"It's Ascent business," Emily confirmed. "Kidnapping and some news from abroad."

The guard frowned. "We recently were hosting a Dragon that was the go-to guy about it when you didn't want to bother the nobility with the news. He just recently up and disappeared, though the King apparently had known about it. If he were still around… oh! One of his companions is still here. Goes by the name of Trinil… he's probably trying to make sure that the Queen escapes alright."

Jenny looked suddenly thoughtful and seemed to not be paying attention anymore. "We'll help, then," Emily said. "Where?"

The guard paused a moment, then seemed to come to a decision and lowered his voice. "Underneath the castle keep, in the back, there's an escape that only people who can fly could ever hope to use. That's where they most likely were headed. Do you know where the dungeons are?"

"Yes," Emily replied.

"Go there. If you can hear fighting, then they might need help. If not, hold the position against any enemy. If they were able to get in before without passing the gate, they could use it again to reinforce whatever might be chasing the Queen."

"We're on it." The girls sprinted back into the castle. Emily led the way through a few sharp turns, quickly descending into the basement levels of the castle.

"How do you know where we're going?" Jenny asked at one point on the sprint.

"Been here before," was all Emily said. Jenny figured she could get more out of her about it later.

When they arrived next to the dungeons, it was abundantly clear that there was fighting going on nearby. Jenny moved quickly toward the source of the noise with Emily following instead. Around only two corners of a hallway that led down and away from the dungeon cells that had come fleetingly into view upon the girls' arrival, they found it. A… it had to be some sort of wild feline, but it was on its hind legs and fighting extremely competently to keep a bunch of street-clothed ruffians from a door.

Emily charged in immediately, transforming into her phoenix form. Jenny gritted her teeth and reached just out of her sight for the light-that-was-dark to transform into her own Ascended form. Emily didn't waste any more time once she had completed her transformation, burning one of the enemies into a crisp. Then she was all talons and beak, distracting foes long enough for the werecat to slash through vital organs. Jenny handled some enemies on her own. It was a rout. With the help, the golden-furred (clearly an Ascent) cat, had no more trouble, and the hallway was clear. After disengaging, the werecat turned into more of a humanoid form, though he didn't lose all of the fur.

"The Queen's away by now," he said. "Thank you for the help. Where'd you come from?"

Emily and Jenny followed suit, reverting to their humanoid forms. "We arrived in the city during the attack. We were caught by surprise when we were shot at on our approach," Emily told him. "I'm Emily. That's Jenny. I'm a Phoenix Ascent, she's Dragon."

"I'm Trinil. Woren," he said by way of reply. "Dragon, huh? You just missed someone who'd really like to talk to you. Just by a few days." He let out a breath. "Then again, nothing seems to be going right lately except for your timely arrival."

"Do we know if the castle is secure?"

"It doesn't matter," Trinil replied. "All possible targets left in the castle," he pointed at each Ascent in turn, "are able to fight for themselves, and are not royalty. Now I'm just worried about Nina." He frowned. "These guys just went after the King and Queen. They weren't after me. Or any of the other Ascents that were in the castle. And it wouldn't even be the _second_ time that Nina had been attacked."

Emily regarded him for a moment. "You're going to protect her?"

He looked torn. "Someone should tell my friend about this. Someone should tell the Prince about this. And someone should tell the Princess about this. I'm not sure which one I should go do. I'm pretty sure the Royal Guard will take care of the Prince and Princess if I don't – but that's because they're the most important. To know about this, I mean." He scratched his head."And no one's still around that I would know to ask. Leah's with Nina... Lance and James are with the Queen..."

Jenny frowned. "You're rambling."

Trinil looked at her. "Sorry." He sounded less sorry than... preoccupied.

Emily spoke up. "How about this? We offer to go and warn the Princess, we can leave the Guard to warn the Prince and you can go after your friend."

Trinil looked at her, eyes calculating. Then he relaxed into an easy smile. "Ascent women. Are they all extremely smart?"

Emily raised her eyebrows. "I'm guessing you like the idea, then."

Trinil looked at her for a second before saying, "Yes. Thank you. I think I'll leave immediately. Could you tell the Guard what I'm doing? I imagine they have ways of letting the Queen and her Guard know too."

He walked past them, then broke into a run when he got to the point that he wouldn't hit them with his swinging arms. He was around the corner and gone in seconds. The girls looked at each other and shrugged.

~***~

The lead Guard of what was left told them that he was merely a First Lieutenant. He pointed out the insignia on his arm that marked him as such. "I'm in charge of the defense of the city, when the Captain isn't here. You wanted to talk to me?"

"Yes," Emily said. "Trinil told us that you guys would want to let the Prince and Princess know about this as soon as possible. We figured, since we have business with the Princess, that we would handle that. You could hurry to the Prince, and if you'd like, send reinforcements after us for the Princess. We're plenty for now."

He nodded. "Ascents would make good bodyguards for the Princess, if you make it there in time. Would you stay with the princess for a while? We need to figure out how they got into the Castle without our knowledge so we can shore up the defenses here. I think we got a bit too lazy about our defensive strategy in case of an attack, and Tantar exploited it. We were lucky to get the Queen out. I should thank Trinil... do you know where he is?"

"He went after some friend of his that's away right now," Jenny replied. "I don't think he'll be back for a while."

"Perhaps not," the Lieutenant acknowledged. "Yes, if you could head to the Princess's location, we could concentrate on getting extra protection to the Prince and shoring up defenses here. It'll be tight as it is, but you can make it possible to complete all three objectives. Do tell the Princess that she's needed back here. She knows how to ask us whether we are in a situation that is defensible enough for her protection."

"We will," Emily assured him. "We'll head out and hurry there now."

"Make sure to take some supplies from our remaining stores," the Lieutenant advised. "It'll be a long journey, and it's best if you make it in top condition so as to begin protecting her immediately. If you want to rest...?"

Emily shook her head. "We'll be fine without rest for now, but we'll take you up on the offer for supplies."

The Lieutenant saluted and walked away to continue his efforts at getting the Royal Guard organized again. Jenny turned to Emily. "How do you know so much about Wyndia, anyway?"

"It's a long story. I'll start once we're on our way."


	42. III:4: Monster Hunters

**Act III: Adulthood**  
**Chapter 4: Monster Hunters  
Party: Ryu, Luna**

The afterimage of the setting sun had plastered itself permanently on the backs of Ryu's eyelids by the time he and Luna had entered the main gates to the Old City of Chedo. Without speaking, the two Ascents easily agreed to the inn that was in sight of the open gates. They headed there with all speed, even though they knew that the instant they walked in, the building would be too dim for them to see anything.

And of course, they were right.

The inside of the inn, once the two Ascents could see it, anyway, reminded them of quite a few inns that Ryu had talked about when he mentioned his adolescent travels. A main room that allowed dining (of a sort), with a bar on one side, and stairs on the other that ostensibly led up to the rooms. Near the stairs was a desk, behind which a young man sat, examining something on a piece of paper. When Ryu and Luna walked up to him, he suddenly noticed their presence and hurriedly stuffed the paper out of sight before Ryu could see anything about it.

"Ho there! Does the lovely couple need a room for the night?" he said to them, trying to effect a welcoming look on his face, but failing when the guilty "I was nearly caught with something" look remained just a little bit.

Ryu raised an eyebrow, but remained ignorant of a reddening face beside him. "We'd like a room, yes. With dinner and all included, if you would."

"Sure can!" the young man said, obviously counting a little bit on his fingers. "That comes out to... ah... a hundred and six zenny, after discounting for buying it all as a package." Ryu raised his eyebrows – when had prices risen so damn much? – but he handed over the money as the man... boy?... asked. "Thank you!" the young man replied to the handing over. He reached under his table and slid a key across. "Here's the key to your room. Number six. Oh, and your voucher for drinks and a meal." He also handed over a pair of rather worn slips of paper.

"Thank you," Ryu told him. He looked at Luna, who had adopted an expression of mild anger. Ryu looked back at the man and then back to his partner before acquiring a smirk. "For a second, I thought you saw Nina."

"Shut up; I'm hungry."

"Fine, fine..." Ryu lead the way over to one of the few remaining empty tables, his eyes finally adjusted to the point that he could see which tables had no patrons and which ones just had a rather unmoving one. Very quickly after they sat down, a young lady came up to them and bowed. "Welcome to the Hunter's Lodge. Can I see your voucher?" Ryu held up the two slips of paper, which she marked with an X. "Thank you. Tonight we still have some chicken left and I know we have beef stew as well as potato soup. What would you guys like this evening?"

After ordering their meals and sending the girl back to the kitchen, the two at the table sat back and just relished in sitting in a chair for a moment. Ryu caught patches of conversation floating through the smoke that permeated the room along with the smell of food and rum, but one conversation in particular caught his attention.

"So we just have to register? That's it?" A young man; he can't have been older than Ryu, was saying. "I thought there'd be some test!"

A harsh voice responded. "I'm telling you, there's no test; there's no way for you to realize what you're getting into until you're in the middle of a pack and find yourself dead. Stay away if you know what's good for you, kid." The chair scraped back and the older man, though he only had touches of gray in his hair and beard, got up. The younger one grabbed his hand; the other young man at the table looked perturbed. Ryu leaned in his chair in a way that he could see the proceedings more easily, but without making it obvious what he was paying attention to.

Though, with the man now standing up, the event was causing a lot of commotion as the older man slapped away the younger man's hand with a resounding sound that echoed through the dining area. The young man was not to be denied, however. "We can fight them, you know," he told the man earnestly. "We can do it and earn the reward for it. We've been hunting in Spring before you know!"

"Hunting monsters in a backwards town like Spring that has almost fully cleaned out the monster population isn't exactly an accomplishment," the older man spat derisively. "I hope you don't have family that will mourn your deaths too much, then. That's what the registration is really for; who do they get to notify of the finding of your body?" He laughed coldly. "Don't presume to know what you're doing yet, kid."

The man walked away, and this time the young man entreating him tried to follow him more, but his partner held him back from following the man. Ryu turned to exchange a look with Luna, but she was not in her chair. Spinning his head around back at the retreating man's back, he found that Luna was blocking his way. They spoke quietly but with force for a little before Luna returned to the table with a smug look on her face.

"Well?" Ryu asked.

"I got him to tell me where we have to register in order to be let into the old city." As she sat down, the young lady had brought over mugs of water and plates for each of them before retreating again.

"I'm guessing we have to wait until tomorrow; no one in their right mind would let anyone register at night," Ryu mused.

Luna nodded. "Yeah, sunup to sundown there's a guy that sits at a desk in one of the guardhouses along the Intracity Wall. All we have to do is register there with our names, descriptions, and anyone to contact if we happen to snuff it."

"No test, like they were mentioning?"

Luna shook her head. "No test." She then took a bite.

Ryu huffed. "So they really do send people to their deaths in the Citadel?"

Luna shrugged as she swallowed. "If you go in their unprepared, you sorta deserve it, I think."

Ryu jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "Yeah, but I bet kids like these die all the time in there."

Luna suddenly had a wicked smile on her face. "We could save their butts from a fire and get 'em out unharmed and willing to pay us."

Ryu narrowed his eyes. "I have a feeling that they'd whine and complain about being saved, since they might not even know if they're in danger."

"Then we leave them to their deaths," Luna declared, taking another bite of her chicken.

Ryu realized then that he had been thoroughly outmaneuvered.

~******~

The morning dawned clear and breezy, and the first little prickles of light of the day found Ryu and Luna waiting at the entrance to the guard station that Luna had gotten directions to the previous evening. Only shortly after the sun was peeking over the city walls all the way down the street that the Ascents were standing on did the door open. "I guess I shouldn't keep the two of you waiting any longer," a man said in the Scande uniform. A purple tunic with a golden sash over a gold undercoat, with the coat of arms opposite the sash on the chest. While the other guards had a very simple sash, this man had a double band of gold with a silver lining. He held the door open for the Ascents.

"So you're here to register for monster hunting in the Citadel, I presume?"

"Yes," Ryu replied.

The man plopped himself behind the small desk that was in the room. Neither of the guards that were in the room reacted. "I imagine it won't help me at all to tell you how dangerous it is to be on the other side of the wall, and how quickly we generally receive reports of deaths beyond the line that the Scande Guard holds."

"We can handle ourselves well enough, thank you," Luna said mildly.

The man narrowed his eyes at her. "You seem to not be taking this quite seriously enough."

"I assure you that we approach it with all seriousness," Ryu said, chancing a quelling glance at the older girl, who seemed to have settled into a smirk. "We are both well trained in magical and physical fighting styles and do not plan to be beyond the wall without the other at any time. I can assure you that we are not taking any excessive risks."

The man let out a gusty sigh. "Well, I can't actually stop you, as the law prevents me, but I don't think you'll listen to any more of my speeches on the subject. Names?"

"Ryu Gensu and Luna," Ryu said, indicating each one of them in turn. While the man's eyebrows raised when it became obvious that Ryu wasn't going to give a last name for Luna, he did not otherwise react.

"And who would we notify?"

"Leah Nulian. She lives in Wyndia."

"Ah, the mountainous nation across the sea," the man said, scribbling on the paper in front of him. "Do answer me one question, though." He stood up and walked right to Ryu before whispering. "Why is it that you want us to notify the Captain of the Princess Guard in Wyndia if you die?"

"We're both orphans; she took us in," Ryu replied at the same volume. Then he had a similar smirk to Luna's. "Do you think she'd let us come all the way out here if we weren't able to handle it?"

The man narrowed his eyes and stared at Ryu for a moment, but in the end he spun on his heel and waved a hand above his shoulder. "Fine. Do you want to pay for the possible servicing of your goods to her in the event of your death, or would you rather it be the 25% tax?"

"The tax."

"Like everyone else," the man muttered, making another mark on the paper. "That's it, then." He reached into his desk and pulled out a pair of badges. "Just show these to the guards at any gate and they'll let you through in either direction." Ryu and Luna both took a badge. "I hope you know what you're doing."

The instant they were outside, Luna rolled her eyes. "Well, it could have been worse, but man did he not think we were good enough."

Ryu shrugged. "It'd be better if no one knows the trump card that makes us far more qualified at this job than most, anyway. I'm just glad that he didn't press about Leah. I mean, how did he know who she was?"

Luna looked at him incredulously. "That's what he asked you?"

"Yeah," Ryu admitted. "I was afraid for a moment that he knew who _we_ were too."

Luna snorted. "I don't think we need to worry about being all that famous around here yet. Especially if you're known back home for saving _her_, and you're running around here with _me_." She made the last part sound suggestive, and Ryu studiously did not respond.

Getting through the nearby gate was as easy as showing the shiny badges to the men who were managing the gate. The leader, whose uniform looked like the one of the man that had given the Ascents the badges in the first place, signaled to the top of the wall to open the gate. The open maw of the dark gatehouse loomed in front of the two. "In you go," the man said. "We'll close this gate behind you and open the other in front once it's closed on this side. Don't worry, we won't leave you in the dark for too long." He barked a laugh.

Luna and Ryu walked into the gatehouse, and Ryu unsheathed his sword, twirling it absently as the gate began to close behind him. There were quite a few bloodstains on the floor of the room, though they were increasingly harder and harder to see as the gate ground inexorably to its destination. Ryu heard the sounds of Luna pulling an arrow and drawing for her initial shot. The instant came where there was both no sound and no light, and then the other gate opened to reveal light from the other side. The bloodstains were immediately visible again, but that's not what Ryu and Luna paid attention to.

Luna fired at the first monster to come through the gate, striking an eye and felling the grim imp immediately. Ryu swiftly jumped forward to meet the imp coming down the center, separating head from body cleanly. The other immediate adversary had two arrows in it by the time Ryu got to it, and he probably performed a mercy blow on it. The door was almost all the way open at this point, and both Ascents stepped outside. Ryu cleaned his sword off on a rag he kept for that purpose and Luna collected her spent arrows.

From the top of the battlements came a voice. "Ah, nary a scratch! I win today!" Then a few groans sounded and Ryu could hear the clinking of coins. He exchanged an amused look with Luna before the original voice called down to them. "I knew you two looked like you could actually handle yourselves. Good luck out there; see if you can't find where all these monsters are coming from, you hear?" Ryu waved in lieu of answering, and the two of them set off into the streets of the Black Citadel… though not before gutting an imp that had tried to sneak up behind Ryu while he was waving. Did it think he couldn't hear its chattering?

The close buildings and tight streets were perfect for ambushes, and Ryu and Luna were caught in more than a few, even considering their preparedness for such events. Imps liked to arrive from above, generally with bats. Lizardmen jumped out from alleys, often accompanied by their tinier cousins. There were also Spectres, Glooms, and other undead that Ryu could take out with a simple thought. The Black Citadel was just filthy with lots of different kinds of monsters… which made sense.

It was quite a bit of a hike to the most obvious target in the Black Citadel: The old Imperial Palace. Ryu and Luna met so many monsters along the way that it was long past noon before they stood on the main thoroughfare (or what used to be the main thoroughfare) right in front of the Imperial Palace. Right in front of them were the palace steps, which they stepped on right as they heard sounds of fighting above and in front of them. After exchanging a quick look, the two Ascents sprinted up the steps as fast as their legs could carry them to the large courtyard in front of the big caved-in double doors. Among the rubble strewn about the fine marble flooring, there were a pair of kids that were clearly on their last legs.

It was the kids from the bar. Luna frowned as she recognized them. Both came to a stop as it became apparent that they wouldn't be able to get there before the Lizardman that seemed to have become the young men's doom gutted one of them. Right as the Lizard leaned back with meaning to deliver the blow, and the doomed kid's partner let out a "No!!", and the Lizardman lunged with his blade.

Only to have it deflect off a spear that came out of nowhere. A man in a long brown coat was standing in between the lizard and the formerly doomed kid. After deflecting the blow up and out of the way, the flat edge of the spear-blade was used as a chopper to take off the monster's head before anyone could react. An instant afterward, Ryu and Luna were charging with weapons drawn. The two boys were still frozen, but the longcoat seemed to be plenty for protecting them while the Ascents charged. Luna's bow had fired three shots by the time Ryu joined the melee in time to behead the Lizardman that had taken the opportunity to attempt to end the _other_ kid's life while the longcoat was busy with the imps on the other side.

In the end, no non-monster had fallen, even given all of the monster corpses that lay around the rock-strewn plaza. The longcoat swung his spear around a few times before putting it away on his back and turning to the kids and speaking in a low voice. "Did you think you were ready for this, kids? Did you think that you were ready to deal with the heavy monsters? There's a reason there's a wall preventing them from assaulting the city-folk."

"We... we can handle..." the kid closest to their savior had tried to defend them, but trailed off as he apparently realized how empty his words were, and how disbelieving all three newcomers looked as he offered up his feeble defense.

"If that's what you believe, then you are certainly not ready to be out here, much less in there," the man jerked his thumb to indicated the Palace. He then sighed. "It's amazing that they let slickers like you in here, but I think they need the money from your deaths too much." This seemed to shock the kids, while Ryu had thought it obvious after a moment. "Come on; I'll escort you out. How about you not come back until you can travel up and down the continent by yourselves, hmm? I bet you've never tried. A better test is in that, as you can stop in any town if it gets too hard. Out here... there are too many monsters; there are too many places where the monsters can get to you without you seeing them. If you can't camp out there, you can't camp in here, and you two were having trouble on your _first day_."

"We... we heard that there was something that we could get and sell in the Palace..."

"Oh, greed. Gotta earn it first, kid. Let me escort you out."

"What about them?" The one that hadn't spoken sounded very indignant.

"They can handle themselves," the man said mildly. "What with being Ascents."

Luna's eyebrows went skyward, while Ryu couldn't help but open his mouth. How did he know that so quickly?

"The boy can become a dragon that could fry you in two seconds flat, and the girl could become a wolf with such fierce teeth, she'd finish you without even feeling like she killed something. No, I'm not too worried about them."

The two kids were open-mouthed looking from Ryu to Luna and back (Ryu had thankfully regained his composure). "He's... he's a _Dragon?!_"

"He is, indeed, kid," the Longcoat said with a little chuckle in his voice. "Let's get you two out of here." The kids seemed to accept their fate and start their way toward the stairs down. The man turned over his shoulder as he followed them. The movement revealed that he wore a bow and quiver alongside the spear. "I would be interested in seeing more of your fighting style. I can be found around here, when I'm not escorting kids around... Let me know. Maybe we can teach each other some skills."

"I'm Ryu," Ryu said. "What's your name?"

"You can call me Gary." And then he was gone. Luna was staring after him.

Ryu turned to face the entrance to the Palace. "Well, hopefully we'll find a Shrine in here."

Luna shrugged. "It's either one of your set of four, or it's not. Considering what you told me about how many options you have, I'll be shocked if we aren't right about this. But even if it's not, we got an idea out of the way, and there are other places we can look up other possible places. I bet we could find good libraries somewhere on this continent that we could access."

Ryu sighed. "I hope that we don't have to deal with any failures of our research. We already have to find two without any real hint from Ladon. I don't want to have been wrong with any of the legwork we've done."

Luna nodded. "I understand. I bet we're right, anyway." She walked forward to the large doors. "So how do we get in, anyway? Oh!" She pointed over to one side. Ryu looked and found that there was an opening in the wall there that was hidden by the shadows made by the afternoon sun. "There's the way that we can get in!" And so they climbed over the blocks that were in the way, and found themselves navigating the innards of the Imperial Palace.

The Imperial Palace was huge. While the Ascents started just off of the main hallways and descended stairs into the depths, the rooms seemed to be endless. The hallways always came, and there were always stairs that would lead further into and further down in the Palace. Not that the monsters didn't change. On the upper levels the monsters were about the same as they were out in the Citadel, but as they went lower and lower into the bowels of the Palace, the enemies started to change. The imps apparently were based somewhere in the upper levels of the Palace, as the imps disappeared first. Replacing them were EyeSpies... which were octopus looking monsters, other than the fact that the body was essentially made of a bunch of eyeballs.

Further in, the Lizardmen started to be seen less and less. Replacing _them_ were interesting, extremely old but surprisingly functional, attack robots. The danger of the area only increased as the two found themselves further and further down into the basement. Finally, though, it seemed like the endless hallways had actually ended. In their place was a cave-like area that seemed to be funneling them to one area on the other side of the cave. There were other places to go, but it was becoming obvious that there was a particular hub that all of the tunnels connected at, and it was easy to find.

Inside... was a place that defied expectation.

It was a place that seemed to be sunset. But weren't they underground? Quite a bit underground? Sunset as a time made some sense... but it seemed like they shouldn't be able to see the sun. The immediate area was a stone bridge away from the cave opening, and a relatively small platform made of stone. There, in the middle of the platform on the other side of the bridge, a doorway stood in mid-air. The same silver doorway that had stood as the entrance to all of the other shrines. The symbol this time looked like a sunburst, only it was black.

Ryu and Luna walked up to the doorway. Luna walked around it, inspecting the air around it to determine that it was, indeed, just suspended from nothing. "Is this one of those doors you were talking about, Ryu?"

"I think so," Ryu said, "but I don't think it's quite what I was expecting. Normally it's actually a door in a wall, rather than just... you know..."

Luna looked at him around the door. "So it doesn't always have no real reason to be there?"

"Right," Ryu said absently as he was looking around. "There also generally has been a monster that acted as a guard of the Shrine, in a way. And I think we headed away from the monster source, since we haven't really seen one around this chamber."

"You might be right," Luna said, "but I can't shake the feeling that they were all coming from here. Possibly from the other side of this door, however that would work."

As if Luna's words were a cue, there was a flash of light, and two Eyespies were suddenly flanking the doorway. Luna flew into action, striking the one she was closer to with a magical strike, and Ryu drew his sword and sliced into the other one as quick as he could. Both Ascents took out their target fairly quickly. There was a beat of silence. "I think we found that place where the monsters are coming from," Luna said blandly.

"I'd say so."

Luna went around to the 'front' of the door. "Well, I think we should have a look-see." She pushed on the door, but it didn't budge. "Huh?" She tried to get a handhold to pull, but she couldn't find one, and no matter how hard she shoved, the door stood there mocking her. Trying to forestall her from getting to aggravated by the resistant door, Ryu gently pulled her away.

"I have a feeling that these doors are only activated by those who are supposed to be able to go in," Ryu said.

Luna pouted, which nearly made Ryu sigh in relief that he'd been in time. "You mean like how Nina could only go in with you to the Wind Shrine?"

"Right," Ryu said as he put his hand on the door, which opened at his touch. He poked his head in to look. As expected, it was the inside of the shrine rather than the nice view of a sunset, but there was no one inside. On a second glance, he found that there was in fact someone inside. Laying down. Face-down. In a pool of blood. Ryu quietly stepped inside with his sword drawn. Luna followed him with even more stealth.

Ryu turned over the corpse with his sword, and it was obvious what wound had killed the man, though it was impossible to identify him. He heard a sound from up on the dais, and Ryu looked up quickly, but it was only a fairly stern looking Ladon fading into view. "You're the first person to find this, Ryu."

"I'm not surprised about that," Ryu said as he sheathed his sword. "I _am_ surprised that you didn't tell anyone about it."

"You're really the only one who needs to know," Ladon said. "And the Dark Shrine is generally considered a bit of a punishment position for the priests. Not many would care that he's dead."

"Even with us being so small in number now?" Ryu asked, trying to keep a sudden flare in his temper under control.

"Even then. Were he to ever return to Ness, he would be put in jail for killing a fellow priest."

"_What?!_"

Ladon smiled grimly. "While he was not the finest example of a Dragon, it is a bad thing that he was killed here. He was killed by the same people who managed to remove the Goddess of Dark that normally resides here."

"One of the Gods of a Heavenly Element was removed from her chamber?!" Ryu's mind was reeling.

"Yes. Myria is not here."

Ryu frowned. "Then why is this one of the places that you gave me a clue for?"

Ladon chuckled. "I always give this place as a clue, but generally no one ends up going here because the monster population is too much of a put off factor. And yes, it is this shrine that's generating most of the monsters in the lower areas of the Palace, but the monsters that actually spend time up in the light have nothing to do with the Shrine, other than being slightly attracted to it. In fact, the monsters down here have only been generated since Myria's sudden... disappearance."

Ryu was now a little confused. "Okay..."

Ladon shook his head. "I've always liked this particular shrine. It is a very important place in history, you know. It's too bad that there are so many monsters around and people don't visit the area all that often." He clapped his hands. "Anyway. The important thing to know is that _I don't know anything about this event that I haven't already told you._"

Ryu closed his eyes and tried to take it in. A _Goddess_... of a Heavenly Element, no less!... had been removed from the Shrine that she could most easily form herself. One of the places that she could actually take shape such that mortals could see and interact with her. How did that even work? "So she's not here any more? She can't appear here like she did before this?"

"She hasn't. That doesn't mean she can't... but I don't think she can," Ladon replied. "I haven't been able to speak with her lately. I think her essence... what you're communicating with when you talk with one of us through these bodies you see... I think her essence is gone to wherever it was taken. Well! That's something that you should think about later, hmm? It's time for me to give you some sort of reward for finding the Shrine successfully."

"No test?" Luna asked.

"I can't really give a test when I can't manifest myself here, can I? I need the God or Goddess that's the most closely connected to the spot on which the Shrine was built to actually test you. I can't physically manifest myself in any way other than when I wish to manifest in the spot _I_ am most closely tied to. And that is not here. And since Myria is _also_ not here, I cannot do much about it."

Ryu had just noticed that Luna was in the Shrine, but since Ladon didn't seem to have a problem with it, he didn't do anything about it. Then he turned back to Ladon. "So are you going to put me to sleep now?"

"Indeed!" Ladon said amicably. "That's how your body absorbs new power, you know. This power won't be a Dragon form... I can't give you the form that's based on Myria's power without her here, after all, but I think you could use a boost to how long you can remain in dragon form."

Ryu felt the world going dark. "Are you... expecting... Luna to get... me out herself?"

"Of course not, Ryu, I plan for everything."

Ryu had a wry grin when he fainted.


	43. III:5:My Past Your Past

**Act III: Adulthood**

**Chapter 5: My Past... Your Past**

"I thought that cities couldn't fly, Daddy!" the little redhead asked her father, who had matching wild fiery red hair.

He chuckled as he walked with his daughter down the main street in the center of Wyndia city. "There are lots of cities that do crazy things. There's even a city underwater!"

The little girl made a face. "I don't ever want to go there."

"Maybe you won't, then, but it's just as weird and fun to look at as this one." The man's robes were swishing as he took steps since his focus was more on remaining in step with his daughter than not making noise. Not that they were paid too much attention to in this particular city. He nodded to a passing Woren. "It's good to keep an open mind about things."

"I know, Daddy. But I don't want to go some place that fire doesn't work well."

Her father nodded. "I know it's scary to go someplace where our power is less effective, but that's why we're friends with other kinds of Ascents. Every kind of Ascent has different strengths and weaknesses. When we get into a situation where we are weak, we call on a friend who is strong. We just have to depend on our friends."

"Like our friends are depending on you today!"

"That's right," the man said as they approached the gates to the Castle. "And like I depend on them to do what they did while we were home and this happened."

The little girl giggled and the man turned to the guard on duty and spoke quietly to him. The gates opened and the two walked through.

"Do you think I will need to transform today, Daddy?"

"I hope not," he said. "But you never know. Don't let your guard down; okay, Emily?"

"Okay!" Emily said brightly.

"My Lord," a guard said, coming up to them, "the King is busy at the moment, but has dispatched me to take you to the prisoner, if you so choose."

"Thank you. Please take us to the prisoner."

The guard looked worriedly at Emily, who only turned a benign smile his way. "Both of you, my Lord?"

"Yes. Both of us. Please." Emily's father's tone was neutral, but an eyebrow was cocked in such a way that it seemed to rattle the guard.

"Yes, sir." The guard spun on his heel and led the two into a side passage that quickly led them down into the dungeons. Emily's grasp on her father's hand became tighter as they went into the dark and dank, but when she felt the reassuring squeeze back, she calmed. She watched the walls go by as they walked further into the dungeon.

After a while, they reached a set of cells. This is where the guard stopped and turned around to face the two of them. "I don't want to get any closer to that riff-raff, and to be perfectly frank, my Lord, I'd recommend that she doesn't either."

"She's a lot more resilient than you might think, Private," the redheaded man replied. "Thank you for taking us here. You can wait here while we talk to him."

"Yes, sir." The guard's eyes flicked down to the little girl again, but he didn't say anything more. He simply gestured to the man and girl that they wanted the first cell on the left.

The cell was spartan (as was expected), with one occupant. The ratty clothing that clung to the gaunt figure wasn't in the best of straits, but it was enough to cover him. Possibly even keep him warm; there were enough different colors and styles that it was apparent what he was wearing used to be quite a bit of clothing. He rasped a laugh when he spotted his visitors, which quickly turned into a cough.

"Are they here to kill me already?" he croaked. "That was quick. All over so soon. Such a shame. There was so much that I wanted to do while I was here."

The prisoner tried to ramble on further, but the redheaded man interrupted. "Are you the one called Malcolm?"

The prisoner rasped his laugh again. "A name I have used, sure. But a name is just a name, and a name doesn't encapsu-"

Suddenly there was a flash of bright white light, which the prisoner stopped his diatribe to flinch away from. In the place of the redheaded man was a red and gold bird, which floated down to land on the little girl's shoulder. The girl smiled as she petted the bird, which trilled a few glorious notes before falling silent and staring at the ratty man through the bars. This seemed to unnerve the prisoner, who backed up slightly. The girl turned her head to look at the man.

"What is your objective?" she said quietly, but with an undertone of authority and maturity. The change in attitude of the girl was so startling, the guard shivered somewhere behind her.

There was a momentary pause while the prisoner's eyes flickered from one of them to the other. "Not having a plan was always the smartest option when you – augh!" Fire had suddenly surrounded the cell. The prisoner flinched back, as did the guard down the hall, though the bird and little girl did not move. As suddenly as the firestorm appeared, it was gone.

"I didn't ask for the plan. I asked for the objective. What are you trying to achieve?"

The prisoner was staring at the girl with the bird on her shoulder. She was still absently petting it, though her eyes stared right back into the prisoner's. He opened his mouth and closed it once before he tried to speak again. "I…" he trailed off, but after swallowing, continued. "I am a distraction."

A soft red glow emitted from the bird for a moment, then it faded. The girl watched it with the same smile on her face that she had shown her father before. Her head then turned back toward the prisoner, losing the smile. "What were you a distraction for?"

A strange sound came from behind her and instinct made her whirl toward it. The guard was slumped against the wall with a sword sticking out from his neck. The man who put it there said, "It's already happened. No little girl is going to stop it now." He pulled the sword and let the dead guard fall to the stone floor.

Fire came to the girl's call and she launched it at the newcomer, though he deflected it with his sword harmlessly down to the floor. "Is that what you can do, little girl? Throw fire at me? You'll have to do better than that!" The sword slammed into the ground, inexplicably causing the earth to tear and crack toward the girl. She jumped to one side, the bird lifting off of her shoulder...

Flicker.

...and suddenly she was sprinting the long way that separated her and the bird as it fought the newcomer. The grass felt slippery beneath her unshod feet.

Her father was circling his adversary. "You think you have what it takes?"

"I could take you with two hands behind my back," the man sputtered. "You are nothing to me!"

Flicker.

A pure column of heat erupted from beneath her father's adversary, but he jumped out of the way in time, though it was awkward to jump around in the small space that some of the passages through the volcano allowed. With furious tears in her eyes, the now-woman fired another shot that struck the adversary in the middle. "How dare you!" she shouted.

Flicker.

The voice came from behind her. "Because I can."

~***o***~

**Party: Jenny, Emily**

Emily woke up gasping for air, her hand going to her heart as if to check whether it was beating hard enough to leave her chest entirely. She was in the room at the Inn in Chaive. A quick glance revealed Jenny was still sleeping soundly in her own bed. Once Emily determined that nothing was wrong besides that niggling fact of her being awake, she let herself close her eyes and she rubbed them tiredly. She should have known that telling Jenny about her and her father's visits to the dungeons in Wyndia would cause that dream to come that night, but she had been hopeful she would manage. Apparently, she had been wrong.

They were less than a day from their objective, however, and that was something positive, unlike thoughts about her late father. She rose quietly and went to the window. While it was still very dark outside, the first hints of dawn were starting to make themselves known. The eastern sky was turning more purple than a true black, meaning that they should be on the road sooner rather than later. She turned around to look at Jenny's sleeping form.

This gave her pause, as she was generally unwilling to wake her friend if at all possible. She had been alive for quite a long time before she had been captured, while Jenny was much younger. She was only in her twenties or so… possibly only nineteen. Emily had been alive far longer, and she thought that her age had helped her cope with the hell that their lives had been for so very long. It was this that caused Emily to want to cut the other girl as much slack as she could… as far as she knew, the poor girl hadn't even had the opportunity to have a childhood at all.

She was saved from the decision of whether or not to wake her partner when Jenny stirred and sat up in her bed. She spotted Emily immediately, despite the lack of light in the room. "Emily?" she asked sleepily.

"It's almost dawn," Emily said. "We can leave any time you're ready."

Jenny nodded before rising out of her bed and stretching a little bit. It didn't take long for the two of them to pack up the belongings that they had taken out of their packs before going downstairs to get something to eat. While the full-on breakfast that was offered with a room was not yet available, one of the staff was on hand to get them a cold but filling breakfast before the two of them left.

Chaive was not a town that could afford to sleep in. As a large portion of the townspeople's livelihoods were somehow related to the farms that surrounded the area, most of the places of business were already showing signs of life even this early. If someone from the farms came in wanting to buy something, they wanted to be ready to sell it to them, and farmhands were notoriously early risers. Neither girl looked completely out of place, even coming out of an Inn rather than a house.

The plains of southern Wyndia welcomed the girls with a gorgeous sunrise to their left as they headed nearly due south. Occasionally the view was marred by having to deal with a monster or two, but it was nothing that the girls couldn't take care of with both hands behind their backs. "So it's somewhere around here that the secret town is?" Jenny asked at one point while they were walking along.

"Yeah," was Emily's response. "Not sure precisely where, though. It wasn't really something I ever needed to know."

Jenny nodded absently. "Well, we'll have plenty of time to comb the area for it once we've talked to the Princess."

"And hopefully she knows precisely where it is," Emily said.

They fell silent after that short exchange, but it was shortly after that when Emily stopped short. "I hear something. Can you?"

Jenny closed her eyes as she listened to the sounds about them. There was definitely bird chirping, maybe a monster growl or two, but neither of those things would have gotten Emily to stop like that. Straining with her ears a bit, though and she heard it. "Metal on metal," she said. "People fighting people."

There was no more need for words. Both girls launched themselves into a run in the general direction they thought it was coming from, which happened to only be a little bit to the east of their original trajectory. Emily's longer strides were bringing her into a slight lead, but she tempered her pace so that Jenny could keep up. It would not do to arrive separately.

Coming into view now were the combatants. There seemed to be quite a few in the fight, though it was impossible at the distance to determine anything else about the altercation. The girls ran on, not really knowing if this was something that they needed to be sticking their noses in, but knowing that they wouldn't forgive themselves if it was something that they did, and failed to.

As the girls got closer, it became obvious that one of the combatants was a Wyndian Ascent. That combatant was using the air to dodge and weave through the fight, and it was also obvious that the fight followed her more than anyone else. All of the other combatants were either protecting or attacking the figure with the wings. But something was keeping the flyer from simply flying away to escape.

Finally close enough to affect the battle, Emily yelled out, "For Wyndia and the King!" and received an answering call from the soldiers in the blue. Jenny quickly identified the allies from this information; helping her out were those without livery watching the two new arrivals nervously. But the Wyndian soldiers wouldn't just believe that they were allies from a call alone.

Simultaneously, Jenny and Emily ascended. Between the sudden white light and the appearance of a dragon and phoenix, the newcomers turned the tide of the battle. Jenny plowed through many unmarked soldiers to get to the center of the fray. Emily was flying directly to the Wyndian's aid without regard to the obstacles on the ground. When Jenny threw aside the last soldier, she found a wounded woman laying among a ragtag line of protection. The Wyndian, and now Emily, were trying to fill in the holes. Obviously to protect the wounded woman, who was apparently not in enough pain to sit still and stay quiet. She called out orders that were even followed by the soldiers in blue. Jenny turned and slashed right through a man who was attempting to take advantage of her back being turned.

With the addition of the two Ascents to the defensive line, the defense stiffened, and the battle acquired a bit of a routine. Unfortunately, it was not one that the blue-clad Wyndian soldiers could keep up with. Still outnumbered by quite a bit, the line faltered as more and more of the tired soldiers fell to the onslaught from the unmarked attackers.

Soon, however, the attack had taken enough of a toll on the attackers as well. As the numbers evened out, the attackers broke and ran. The last few guards collapsed, unable to stand even a moment longer.

The Wyndian came to a landing, allowing Jenny to see her clearly. Jenny reverted to her human form at that point. If the blonde hair, blue eyes, and face shape like her father's weren't enough, the Wyndian young lady was wearing a formal looking tiara and though her dress was clearly made for a scuffle, it was also clearly made of money. Emily reverting and immediately curtseying helped the image. The Wyndian stopped Emily with a gesture. "Don't be like that; I should be honoring you for helping us."

Emily's eyes remained downcast. "My Lady, I don't think you'll want to thank us once we've given you one of our messages."

The Princess smiled at Emily. "I don't think so," she said quietly. "Seeing any Ascents alive is something to be celebrated."

"We bring news of a death, my Lady," Jenny ventured, causing the Princess to look her way. "There's no easy way to say this... King Wyndia is dead."

The smile fell off of the blonde's face. "Wha... what happened?"

"There was an attack on the Capital. We arrived during the attack and offered our support - like we did here," Emily said. "But we were too late for the King. A Woren named Trinil told us the Queen escaped safely. We, since we needed to talk to you anyway, we told them that we would take the message. We... we're sorry." She finished lamely.

The Princess closed her eyes, and this time the wounded woman spoke. "Why don't you help us patch up our wounded, and we'll get to talking once Princess Nina has managed to process what you've said so far."

The few remaining guards were patched up and settled into a makeshift camp relatively quickly. Princess Nina had spent it sitting on a rock that ended up where the soldiers and other Ascents had centered the camp. Once finished, the woman who was obviously the leader of the soldiers had insisted on being set up right next to the campfire to be in the conversation that was about to ensue. Jenny and Emily sat across the fire from the woman (who had introduced herself as Leah) and Princess Nina.

"Now that we're all settled," Leah said. "We can talk about other things that you have to discuss with the Princess."

Nina took a deep breath, then looked up. "I apologize for the wait. What else did you have to talk to me about?" Her tone was shaky, but it seemed like she was handling the news enough to be getting on.

"I'm sorry that we have to continue to press you," Emily said, "but we need your help." After Nina's nod, she continued. "We were... held in some sort of facility and... tortured. We don't remember much about it, nor do we really want to. But my friend here," she indicated Jenny, "has lost her memory, so she doesn't know where her hometown is." She paused. "Or what it is. I had to supply that, since I knew of Ness, though I have never been there myself."

Nina nodded. "I know where it is, and can even take you there now... but I don't see how that will help you at all."

Jenny looked at the Princess sharply. "But... it's my home?"

Nina sighed. "It is, I'd assume, considering your apparent age, but it... it was destroyed six years ago."

Jenny's face clouded, while Emily gaped. Emily recovered first. "Six _years_ ago? Completely destroyed? A hidden city?"

Nina's eyebrows had shot up. "If you didn't know that, then I'm thinking you were in captivity before that event, about six years ago..."

"Can you take me there anyway?" Jenny asked softly. So softly that Nina could barely hear her.

"Yes, if you really want me to. Why, if I may ask?"

"I want to remember," Jenny said heatedly. "I want to see my home... no matter what state it's in... and I want to do anything that I can to jog any memories I can. I forgot everything. I don't know my family, if I even have one. I don't know my friends." Her voice cracked and she bit her lip.

Nina gave a wan smile to the older girl. "Of course, then. However... if you were captured more than six years ago... maybe you can shed some light on the attacks on Ascents in the past few years... but I won't ask you to walk me through it right now..."

Emily sighed. "Not that either of us have completely clean minds about recent events in our lives... but given the grace that you've shown us, I think that we can show the same for you. We're not tired, and it looks like you're none the worse for wear after that little scuffle..."

Nina gave a tiny nod. "I know your memory isn't the best at the moment," she said to Jenny. "How far back can you remember right now?"

Jenny closed her eyes. "When I decided that Emily was my friend," she said.

Nina nodded. Emily shot a warm look at her partner. Nina continued, "Was that after the capture?"

Jenny nodded.

"Okay," Nina said. "And..." she laughed suddenly. "And I don't know your names!"

Emily flushed, while Jenny's eyes widened. "I'm so sorry!" Emily said quickly. "I'm Emily Brandt. She... doesn't remember her name. She goes by Jenny for the time being."

Nina frowned. "Well, that knocks out that idea," she said quietly. Then, louder, "Alright, then, Emily. Your memory isn't faulty?"

Emily gave a wry smile. "Not _as _faulty. I'm getting on in years, after all."

Nina blinked for a moment, then snapped her fingers. "Ah, you just appear at that age for your own reasons." After Emily's nod, "Do you remember anything about being captured?"

Emily shook her head. "Not enough by a long shot. I was taken by surprise north of the volcano."

Nina frowned. "Okay." She was obviously trying to move past disappointment. "How about where you were when you escaped?"

"We were in a castle of some kind on the Western Continent," Emily said. "We were, naturally, more interested in getting away than figuring out anything about the place, but I know that it was south of Tock, but north of the border to Scande. We had escaped to the south, thankfully, as it wasn't too hard to get through the border and hide ourselves among other travelers."

Nina's eyes were slightly widened. "They have a whole castle to work with?"

"At least," Jenny corrected. "We don't really know anything about the organization. There's nothing that proves that it's their only stronghold."

Nina's face darkened. "If they're the ones that are behind most of the Ascent attacks... But there's plenty of evidence that at least some of the attacks are from Tantar rather than any organization based on the other continent." She shook her head. "It would be very bad if there's more than one group that's making attacks like these. You... you two are the first I've heard of coming back after being missing."

Jenny raised her eyebrows. "What generally happens in one of these attacks?"

"People go missing... until now, I've been assuming that they've been dead. We've been holding a few Ascent children that were essentially orphaned by the attack on Ness and a few others in the city... though they're all about my age at this point, so they're probably not there anymore. I'd... I would think that we would have seen more people like you if there were many others that were alive."

"You have... er... had survivors from the attack on Ness?" Jenny asked. "Is there any way that I could speak to them?"

Nina shook her head. "He's probably long gone by now, which is a real shame. He was off to the other continent for more research on the attacks on Ascents as well as his own last journey... speaking of which, you haven't done your journey, have you?"

Jenny shook her head. "I don't know... I don't even know what the journey is."

Nina looked embarrassed. "Oh... right. Well... maybe it would make sense if you went on your second journey now. It would, at least, allow you to take a... oh!" She clapped her hands. "We can ask Ladon!"

Jenny's eyebrows sky-rocketed. "We can talk to the Gods?"

Nina nodded, excited. "I can take you. But first, you wanted to go to Ness, right?" She didn't even wait for Jenny's nod. "Good, then we'll do that first, since that's much closer."

"Princess," Leah objected, "I don't think you should be heading to..."

"Agent Leah, I have more responsibilities than just this war," Nina said mildly. "You know that." Leah tried to speak again, but Nina cut her off. "I'm well equipped to handle myself, as you well know."

Leah looked frustrated, and was obviously trying to keep it out of her voice. "You shouldn't have come to rescue me."

"I know, though I'm glad I did, in the end."

Leah smacked the ground with her fist, making both Jenny and Emily jump. "You can't be taking risks like that. Not when you're both the heir _and _it's only your mother left! You are the hope of the Kingdom!"

"I wish you wouldn't say that, Leah."

"But you have to understand! You are who you are and there is nothing else to it! You _are_ the hope of Wyndia's future!"

"Can't _you_ understand?" Nina shouted, which seemed to shock Leah back on her heels. "It's a lot of pressure! I have specific tasks that I can do, and I can do my best at whatever I have to do... but if you're asking me to be the hope of thousands... That's what you're asking! It doesn't have an end goal, or a way to work toward it, just an enormous load on my shoulders! I'm tired of it!"

"You're the Princess and the heir to the throne... you're even closer to being the Queen now than you were..."

"I don't care about that! My father is _dead!_ Can't you think of my feelings, rather than my duty, just _once?_ I saved you because it would hurt me if you were lost! You know that! And instead of losing you, I lose Dad! I _didn't_ succeed today! I tried to save someone I can't live without, and lost someone I can't live without!"

In a flash, she was up and in the air and flying off to the northwest. Leah reached out as if to stop her, but with her injury, she was unable to do anything about it. She sighed as she watched the already distant figure get smaller. She turned to the remaining two by the fire. "I think we can do well enough by ourselves here. Could you do me a favor and make sure that she... doesn't get herself into more trouble?"

"We'd be happy to," Emily said, rising.

"Thank you..." Leah said. "I..." she smiled a little. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to her, you know."

"I think it's mutual," Jenny said, smiling back.

"Go," Leah said gently.

Jenny and Emily left the camp immediately, setting off to where they saw Nina flying off to. Even though they had to deal with the occasional monster, they made good time. It wasn't long before they spotted her standing... as if waiting for them. They slowed to a more leisurely pace when they recognized the figure in the distance.

When they got close enough, Nina said, "I figured you'd come after me."

"That was a very dangerous thing to do, Princess," Emily said.

"I can, in fact, take care of myself," Nina replied. "Though I'd rather be with the two of you when I do this."

"Do what?" Jenny asked.

"Follow me," Nina said.

She led them another sixty or so paces in the direction that they were originally headed in, and she then cast some sort of spell. "Just in case," she said quietly, and she touched Jenny and Emily directly in the center of their foreheads. Emily's eyes widened. "Wasn't that... wasn't that the cliff behind you?"

Nina looked at her. "No. It's the area under magical protection. Did you think we were all the way to the Cliffs?"

Emily was still looking around confused.

Jenny frowned. "Nothing changed for me."

"I figured you would be keyed into the spell already," Nina said. "But I keyed you in again just in case. What with the memory loss and all." She turned and lead the way again. "Please... follow me."

It was a half hour before they reached something that was obviously ruins. Jenny was looking around with a disturbing look on her face that was causing Emily to look at her with obvious worry. Nina turned around to face the two of them. "This is the ruins of the town of Ness."

Jenny walked slowly around to one of the remaining foundations and touched it gently. Emily, her eyes still on Jenny, stalked over to Nina. "What is happening to her?" she demanded.

"I hope," Nina said quietly, "that it will jog her memories a bit."

Emily stiffened, then her posture relaxed. "I'm sorry, that was uncalled for. I wanted to get her here too."

"You're worried about your friend. I'm not about to fault you that."

"Do you have a plan?"

"A plan?"

"It's clear that you want to help us out, and that we at least share a goal. I think you're running away from her to help us, though I'm not sure you should do that."

Nina's eyes narrowed. "I don't think that's your business."

"It isn't," Emily agreed. "But how you help us is another matter. I'm all she has had for a while... she's all I've had. If you betray us, I will kill you."

"You know very well I wouldn't."

"Do I? We barely know each other."

"I was with a dragon three years ago when he was on his first journey, you know," Nina said, turning so that she was also looking at Jenny. "The phoenix Ascent was a no show. As was the Grassman. It was only through luck that the Woren wasn't. Plus, I was only with the journeying party because an attempt had been made on my life, or possibly my capture, we're not sure."

"You're a Princess, of course you might have to deal with such attempts-"

"I'm also the strongest Wyndian Ascent in the past 100 years. There could be any number of reasons why they would want to capture or kill me. My... A friend of mine has always been the well of information on these attacks... as I had other duties I also had to attend to."

"Is this that dragon you were talking about?" Emily asked.

"Yes... and there's more than one reason to get the two of you to him as soon as possible."

Emily nodded slowly. Jenny turned to walk back toward the other two Ascents with tears running down her face. Emily immediately ran to her and enveloped her in a hug as her friend began to sob.

Nina turned to look north, away from the private moment she felt she was intruding on. "I can find him," she said to herself. "And maybe I can help her."


	44. III:6: The Mountaineers of Spring

**Act III: Adulthood  
Chapter 6: The Mountaineers of Spring  
Party: Ryu, Luna**

When Ryu awoke, he was on a comfortable bed inside a building. After sitting up, he figured it was the Inn. However, he also found that his pack was ready at the end of his bed, and Luna was nowhere to be found.

He quickly rose and stretched the kinks out before slinging the pack across his shoulders and left the room. Downstairs he found Luna settling up with the man on duty. "We in a hurry?" he asked her quietly as the man was working on getting her change.

"Apparently there was some trouble earlier about there being Ascents here," Luna grumbled. "It's best if we're gone as soon as possible."

Ryu nodded. He knew this was a risk; there were specific places in the world where it wasn't, and this wasn't one of them. "Are we all set?"

"Yeah; I had just gotten tired of waiting for you to wake up, sleepyhead." Luna turned back to the proprietor and got her change, then they were gone.

There wasn't much light. "Dawn or dusk?" Ryu asked.

"Dawn. Apparently we picked the right Inn, or we're not all that distinct, 'cause while there was a disturbance about Ascents being about, it didn't come too close. I would have Warped us out if I had to."

"I'm surprised you didn't anyway, honestly," Ryu said. Then he stopped. "So you can cast Warp, and that's how you got us out?"

Luna shook her head. "No... Ladon did that Warp. You know how I hate it."

"Sure, but I thought you said that you would do it more once you had more places other than Wyndia Castle to-"

"Shut up."

Exiting the city in the early hours, the pair made their way along the Imperial Highway toward Soma, but once they reached the first turn northward, they took it. This road was a little less protected, but the presence or absence of a few soldiers either way didn't seem to make much of a difference; the monsters still stayed clear of the roads. They spent the whole day traveling east and north, through a majority of Scande, and stopped at one of the border towns for the night.

They went over their plan that night, as the rest of the plan was a lot less cut-and-dry after trying the obvious clue. The other clue he had was the one that "shined from the tallest mountain". The tallest mountain on the Western Continent was hard to determine, as all of the taller mountains were collected in the range that surrounded Spring. The tallest four were within only a few paces of each other in height. That didn't seem all that promising, but it was worth visiting the city and seeing if they could learn anything about the mountains there. After that, of course, they were on their own. Before going to bed, Luna and Ryu shared a shaking of their fists at Ladon's clues. He didn't even give any more hints at the first stop, like they had hoped.

The next day, once beyond the reach of Scande and into the large country fields of Carmen, the monsters returned. Luna and Ryu, almost itching for the workout after the simple day beforehand, took out their aggressive desires on the monsters that they found. The area was awash with Dread Fleas (which were _huge_ compared to their normal cousins), monster Flowers (which resembled what Ryu had fought in the Earth Temple), and, disturbingly, a monster cousin of Phoenix Ascents.

The roads changed from well-set and neat cobblestones to winding dirt pathways. They were still wide enough for the occasional wagon, which was most of the traffic that Ryu and Luna saw. Most regular folk were unable to deal with the monsters very well by themselves, and signed on with a wagon or caravan that had guards for their travels. The wide plains of grass, broken only for the occasional cliff, were beautiful to behold... when monsters weren't fouling up the view.

The capital city of Spring was the only city in the vast plains. It was protected by a mountain range that prevented all but the most insistent monsters from getting in. The other small towns that sprung up acted mainly as areas where warriors gathered in order to protect the farmland from too many monster incursions. Most of these small towns functioned more like garrisons or forts than towns. It was only because of the fantastic arable land that was spread out for all the world to see that anyone tried to farm from it at all; the vegetables that came from the effort were sought after worldwide. Without the incessant monsters, more of it would probably be farmed. As it was, most of the food generated went to those who paid through the nose, or who risked living out on the plains.

Unfortunately for the two Ascents, the entrance to the city was all the way on the other side of the mountain range – even once they got to it, it would take them quite a while to circle it. And once the pair was within a short distance from the mountains, the hills that abruptly ended in cliffs became more and more common, blocking their path. At a particularly frustrating one, Luna growled aloud. "Gah! What I wouldn't give to be able to fly over these cliffs!"

"So," Ryu mused, "you'd like Nina to be here?"

"No one asked you."

Despite the occasional stop and going around a different way, the two Ascents made good time, arriving at the fort that guarded the only pass through the mountains just as the last rays of the sun sunk below the horizon. It was a sign of how tired Luna was that she put on her hooded cloak once the sun had set. Ryu thought it best if he didn't say anything about that choice. Instead, he led the way to the small Inn that served travelers who tried to brave the plains by themselves.

The proprietor was ready for them when they entered, and the room provided was good enough to have a rest overnight. Having used up practically all of their energy reserves, Ryu and Luna ate quietly and quickly and headed to bed.

The following morning, the two Ascents went into the cave that allowed easy passage from the plains area to the city of Spring. However, before the gate was opened, they overheard a conversation between two of the villagers who were working to bring supplies from the farms to the city proper through the cave. Luna looked bored, while Ryu listened absently.

"Let's see, we've managed to get food from five of the six major areas lately... but I don't think anyone's gotten anything from the fruit farms of the southwest area in a while."

"Yeah, I had gotten that feeling too. While the other areas have some fruit, I think we're going to start running low on it if we continue trying to export some of it."

"I think the Council will take care of that well enough."

"Yeah, probably. What do you think it is, though? I think caravans are going to it; are they just not getting any produce out of it?"

"I don't know," the shorter villager paused. "For that matter, _we_ were supposed to go by it recently! But we clearly didn't, because we don't have any fruit in our shipment and neither of us remember doing it..."

Ryu frowned. "Are they saying anything interesting?" Luna asked him, when she noticed his expression change.

"There's something weird going on in the southwest of this country," Ryu said quietly. "We'll investigate it if we have the opportunity later. First we follow the plan. It's something we can do when we no longer have any leads left, you know?"

Luna nodded. "Makes sense. I just hope that we are able to find everything you need for your quest, Ryu. I don't want to be stuck looking for weird things out here for too long."

"Oh?" Ryu replied as the gate started on its morning upward climb. "What would you rather be doing?"

"I don't know," Luna answered, her head cocked to one side in thought. "Being free to do whatever's good, really."

"I guess," Ryu said, and then they went into the cave.

The inside of the cave was closed off at night because of the monsters. However, with the combination of the caravan guards and the Ascents, none of the monsters gave them any trouble. The cave only took about an hour to get through.

The other side of the cave, once the caravan and those who were tagging along made it all the way through, opened right to the city beside a waterfall. There was a lake that it fed into that had a few boats that were doing some recreation. As it was a clear morning, there were even some swimmers, though Ryu wouldn't do that without need. It was also cool, and the water had to be quite brisk. He shivered just thinking about how cold it probably was this time of year. Mid-spring was not the best time to go swimming.

The caravan crossed the short bridge to one of the larger streets and immediately headed to the main street, probably to markets. Ryu and Luna followed in order to look for a place to stay... as there was time before they'd meet anyone in a bar, and for all they knew it would take more than one day to get any clues... or worse, figure out that they were barking up the wrong tree with this idea completely.

The pair found plenty of Inns, but none of them would allow them to register for a room until that afternoon, so the pair of Ascents passed the time by going to the market, as well as the local weapon shop to make sure that their equipment was up to date. It was while they were walking from the weapon shop back to one of the Inns in order to try to get lunch and register for a room that Luna stopped Ryu in his tracks by grabbing his arm and pointing at the shop that they were just passing. "Hey, Ryu, we should probably start here." Ryu looked.

It was "The Mountaineers of Spring".

"Well," Ryu said. "I guess this place makes sense." The two of them immediately turned and walked into the shop, the door chime ringing softly. The walls were lined with ropes of different kinds, metal spikes, and some other things that Ryu wasn't even sure of what they were at all. A voice suddenly shouted from the back after a moment's pause.

"Hey, dude! There's a customer! Go!" A man, likely not the speaker, was suddenly thrust into view from the back room. While he seemed to be relatively fit, he didn't really seem to be of the build that would do well mountaineering.

"Hello! What can I do for you?" His manner was pleasant enough, at least.

"Hi!" Ryu returned, some of the man's chipper tone rubbing off on him. "We just have a couple questions about the mountains of the Spring range."

"I should know the answer, then. Fire away?"

"Which one's the tallest?"

"Oh, we get that question a lot," the man said, chuckling. "The tallest one is Mount Zenith, which is just east of due north." He pointed to illustrate, though it was unhelpful because they were inside the shop. "However, that is probably the easiest mountain to climb, as it has paths most of the way up. If you were looking for the best challenge, which doesn't equate to height here in Spring, then I'd recommend Mount Gamblerock, which is just to the west of Zenith." He pointed again. "We can sell you any sort of equipment that you might need here, including the latest in monster repelling gas!"

"Actually, we weren't looking for the best challenge," Ryu said, "just a leisurely climb up a big mountain. So I'd like to know what is required for climbing Mount Zenith."

"Well," the man hesitated a bit, "I don't really recommend that one. People have reported sightings of weird monsters and even hallucinations of buildings up there. Not the best place for people who are not used to outdoorsy things, I'll tell you that!"

"What do we need?" Ryu repeated.

"I can't talk you out of it?"

Ryu and Luna both shook their heads.

The man sighed. "Okay, but you can't say I didn't warn you about it."

"We'll be fine. We're used to weird stuff," Luna said.

He sighed again. "O-kay, then..." He reached behind him to grab what was obviously a map. "There are many paths up, but if you're thinking of climbing all the way to the top so that you're at the highest point around here, you should take this path." He drew with a pen a path through the passes up the mountain. "That's the easy way, since you were more about the stroll than anything else. If you wanted to climb it..." he drew a different path that included scaling what were obviously cliff faces. "Then you should go this way. Either way, you end up here." A dot of ink. "Where all the weirdness happens. Still sure?"

"Stop asking." Luna's tone was dangerous, and the man dropped it.

"Well, you won't need any equipment to take the stroll up the easy way, sadly. But I'll give you the map for ten zenny."

"Oh, why not," Ryu said. They left only after assuring the man that they'd come and buy any necessary mountaineering equipment from his establishment if they needed any. And, yes, they didn't need any right then.

After the two Ascents had gotten lunch, they went to the opposite side of the waterfall to climb a mountain. The pass let them hoist themselves up a waist-high rock and then walk up a path up and around the mountain. While the lower areas didn't have any monsters to speak of, the higher reaches had quite a few of the airborne variety. Ryu was a little surprised at how many paths there were, and followed the map at every one of the many forks along the way.

"Why are there so many paths up this one mountain, anyway?" Ryu asked after what had to be the hundredth fork.

"Well, it's an important mountain to be able to climb, if it's got a temple, even if all these people seem to have forgotten about it. Maybe back when that actually mattered to these weirdoes, they cared about the mountain and being able to get places on it?"

Ryu snorted. "More likely, it's supposed to be a test to pick the right path to the top, knowing Ladon."

Luna laughed. "He sounds like a right prick when you talk about him; did you know that?"

"Just because he's my god doesn't necessarily mean that I like him. Especially lately."

Luna shrugged. "His antics are actually kind of convenient for us, you know? We want to be investigating weird things on this continent. We've already found one lead of something that we might want to check out because we're on his wild goose chase. Maybe we'll find more. And it's not like we're not good enough at this to find enough of his towers. Heck, it'll be harder to find all the crap that we really have to deal with while we're over, rather than the diversion that is what Ladon's been giving you."

Ryu sighed. "Yeah. It's not like we're here just for this thing he's sent me on. We're here to find my dad. We're here to find out if there's any clue about the problems Ascents are having across the world. We're not just here for a stupid little tradition."

"You gonna tell him that when he asks you why you're being insubordinate?"

"Maybe. It depends on how I feel at the time."

Luna smirked. "I bet you'll be even more frustrated than you are now by the time we get to the Shrine."

"Shush."

A few minutes more of climbing, and the pair reached the top. The only sound was the wind whipping around them. The view gave them miles upon miles, particularly to the south, where the great swaths of arable land provided unobstructed views even to the forts and castles sprinkled about. To the north were plains, though much more brown than the land to the south. The northern area was impressive too, but it seemed that the southern lands just outshined them completely.

Luna looked around a little put out. "Isn't there supposed to be something here?"

"You would think that, wouldn't you?" Ryu said. Immediately after saying that, Ryu saw a flicker of blue. He spun to look at it, but by the time he had where it was in the center of his vision, there was nothing there. "Did you see something?"

"You saw something? Where did-" Luna cut off. "Ah!" When Ryu looked at her, her face was completely taken over by anger and frustration. "How can it do that?"

"I think the more relevant question is how to solidify it so that we can know that it _is._ Then we can get a better idea as to what's going on here."

"Oh, I'm pretty sure as to what's going _on!_" On 'on', she kicked something. Hard. The flickering blue solidified instantly into what was obviously a building of some kind... but only the first floor. The second floor faded into the sky above, though it didn't flicker. "Ow!" Luna cried, holding her foot. "That _reall__y hurts!_"

"Well, it worked."

"Not helpful right now, person with a healing spell he hasn't cast yet!"

"Oh. Right."

After healing Luna's bruise (which she insisted was going to continue to get darker until it was as dark as the night sky), Ryu lead the way around the building, looking for a door. Finding it easily on the opposite side from where they had originally been, Ryu opened the door and walked in. It was mildly surprising that it wasn't locked or something.

Inside were the monsters that the two had been expecting the whole time, though in far easier varieties than they thought they would face. After walking up the stairs, they found themselves in the middle of a jungle, where they met slightly harder monsters... but still nothing that even gave them pause. Above that floor was a storm in the middle of the night. Ryu cast a light to see by, though it didn't help all that much. The monsters were still harder, and to the point that the two of them couldn't just ignore them completely anymore. On the floor above that was sky. Now they could look out and see the plains to the north and the farmland to the south again, though it was obvious they were higher... and it also looked like the floor was transparent and there wasn't even a mountain beneath them. Just plains way below.

But there was also, floating in mid-air like it was supposed to, the door to the Shrine. Once she spotted it, Luna rubbed her hands together greedily. "Finally, the Shrine I'm actually supposed to visit!" Sure enough, the emblem of Zenith, her patron god, was on the door. Then a man came out of the floating door.

"Wow, I didn't think we'd ever get any more visitors..." he said, smiling at the two arrivals. "And even someone so young. It's amazing how much you've grown over the past twelve years, Ryu."

Ryu smiled back, but his face had a little bit of hesitancy to it. "It's good to see any Dragon alive, Elder."

"Oh, you wouldn't remember me. I was only in Ness for a little over a month, and that in bits and pieces over your first eight years. I know your father and mother pretty well, and I'd think your sister" - Ryu's eyes darkened - "would remember me, as she was older when I was around. I am Elder Huhn."

"Nice to meet you... again, I guess, Elder," Ryu said politely, seemingly recovered. "This is my good friend, Luna, who is appropriate for this particular shrine."

"Oh she is, is she?" Elder Huhn asked. "That's fantastic! I have only seen a few of the Lycan clan over the past ten years... they're all scattered, as they have been for decades. I'm always glad to meet another one, though, I daresay."

"Nice to meet you," Luna said.

"Well, come on in, then. I'd imagine that you'd like to get this over with, hmm?" He held the door open for the two of them, and they passed through to the inside of the Celestial Shrine. As he shut the door behind him, two transluscent figures formed on the dais. The recognizable one was on the left, without any color tint. The one on the right that Ryu had not seen before didn't look like he had a tint either, but after a moment of looking at him, it was more like there was a silver hue to him. He was significantly taller than Ladon, a foot or more, easily, and Ladon was not short. He was thin, though not quite willowy.

"Both clues so quickly," Ladon said smiling. "I must say that I am impressed with the speed that you're flying through this journey, Ryu."

"I'm gonna need a few more clues, though, if I'm gonna keep this sort of speed, wink wink," Ryu said, a sly smile sneaking up his face.

Ladon smiled. "Don't worry about that right now, Ryu. You have a test to pass now, after all."

The other figure chuckled. "Don't count your chickens before they hatch there, young Dragon."

Ryu frowned, but did not reply, merely bowing his head slightly.

"Who enter's Zenith's Shrine?" The Elder intoned.

"I, Ryu Gensu of the Dragon Clan, do."

"And I, Luna of the Lycan Clan, do."

Elder Huhn looked to Ryu. "Dragon Ryu, you are here to complete your Test of the Celestial Element, as a part of your Third Journey. Your partner will be Lycan Luna. Is this acceptable?"

"It is."

He looked to Luna now. "Lycan Luna, you are here to complete your Test of the Pilgrimage. Your partner will be Dragon Ryu. Is this acceptable?"

"It is."

"Then you may prepare," Elder Huhn said. "Drink of the Water of Life and be refreshed before your test. You will need all of your strength, willpower and stamina to face the trial that awaits you." And then, after a moment, the two young adults were ready, standing in front of the dais.

"Ryu, your test now will be much harder than the tests that you had done previously. You got a bit of a reprieve at the last Shrine, but not so here. You are with a partner you trust, which will help you more than you know, but even then, do not take the test lightly. The tests you faced on the other Continent are nothing compared to what you shall face today. You must find two more of these tests, but this is the hardest, and one you must pass. The other two before finding my Shrine... well... I'll make sure you can find some, I'll just say that." Ladon finished and stepped back.

As he stepped forward, Zenith's smile was more creepy than reassuring. "Your test, young Luna, is one that not all Lycan Clanners take, but one they all should. However, it is not safe. It is not easy, and even if you've spoken with other Ascents about their tests, you'll find that yours is still harder. Your reward is newfound control over your body, such that you can _choose_ when to change..."

Luna barked out a laugh. "It's a good thing that I'm not here for that, then."

Zenith's eyes narrowed while the other heads in the room snapped to the Lycan. "Excuse me?"

After a white flash of light, Luna had transformed into her wolf form. She took a teasing pose before spinning 'round and reverting to her humanoid form. "I already can transform at will, and Ryu will tell you that I can even be underneath the starry sky without transforming too." She looked pointedly at Ryu, who nodded on cue. "So unless you've got more hidden in your cloak, my Lord, I am here entirely for my friend."

"You dare to interrupt me while I speak to you!" Zenith growled. "You will get nothing, then."

"Just the satisfaction I knew I was going to get anyway," Luna said with a wry smile.

Zenith's fierce look faded with him. Ladon looked at Luna. "We'll find something for you." Then, as he faded out himself: "Step up and face your task."

Ryu stepped onto the dais and flicked his sword out with a practiced ease. Luna was right beside him a moment later with an arrow nocked and aimed at the fading in figure of the gigantic dragon. The instant that she thought it would do something, she released her shot. It clanged off of the armored jaw instead of going in the eye. Luna cursed and jumped away as the tail came around to slap the ground where she had been. Ryu had rolled forward toward the adversary, bringing his sword to bear on a swinging claw. After deflecting the claw strike to the dais, he slashed into the leg that was exposed to him, but the armor was too thick; the sword bounced off, throwing Ryu's balance off enough that he took the tail to the gut as it came around again, sending him sprawling.

Ryu had taken the Bahamut's attention to the point that Luna was able to charge a spell to attempt to break through the armor on the giant dragon. "_Hail!_" Ryu had been thrown out of the way of the spell, but Luna heard the music to her ears: the cry of pain from the dragon. She only had a moment of such victory before she had to duck another attack from her adversary. Ryu was up again at this point, but he didn't waste any time before beginning his own assault.

"_Shine!_" The white powerful light shot right through the chest of the Bahamut, causing an even louder cry of pain, though Ryu's spell wasn't designed for punching through the armor so much as ignoring it completely. The response once the Bahumut had recovered enough to retaliate was to unleash a breath attack that didn't even require him to breathe in. Ryu took the full force of it, causing Luna to scream his name before casting Hail again to try and punch through the armor somewhere. As she followed up with an arrow into one of the holes in the armor of the legs (which the Bahamut ignored), she saw the white flash of light.

Ryu emerged from the inferno as Wyvern, immediately returning the favor of a massive breath attack... even if it was completely overshadowed by the attack he had taken. It was enough, however, to keep Luna safe as she picked a much better chink in the enemy dragon's armor: just below the jawline, and into the neck. Roaring in pain and challenge, the Bahamut brought the breath attack to bear sliding it across the dais catching both of his adversaries and throwing them to the ground. Ryu recovered quickly enough to dodge the follow-up, while Luna used her transformation to prevent heavy damage from a claw raking across her back.

Ryu charged the legs, but was batted aside by a claw so he couldn't press the attack. Luna managed to climb the arm that swiped at her well enough that she was able to get her teeth around the arrow she had fired, and pulled it out before attacking the place with her powerful jaw. The Bahamut was forced to knock her off with the opposite hand hard enough to slam her into the dais, but that gave Ryu the opportunity to charge through his defenses and get in a breath attack on the less protected underside of the Bahamut's torso. Luna was forced to revert to her humanoid form with the blow, but that didn't stop her from immediately bringing down another casting of Hail, which opened up the opening that she had been looking for the whole battle.

Taking an arrow from her quiver at her hip, Luna kissed the tip and it took on a silvery light before she nocked it. "_Sureshot!_" The strike flew true. Directly into the left eye of her adversary. One of the giant legs rose and a clawed foot stamped on her for her troubles. She tried to get up, but she found that she was too weak until Ryu's voice sounded.

"_Rejuvenate!_" The light of healing surrounded her just in time to give her the strength to roll out of a second stamp, and Ryu took advantage of the distraction to fling his knife up toward the Bahamut's other eye. Unfortunately it stuck in the monster's cheek instead, but this seemed enough to bring Bahamut's wrath up a notch. The powerful wings that had thus far remained dormant raised and then flapped in a single shocking motion that blew the two humanoid combatants to the floor instantly, bringing the Bahamut high into the air. The Shrine around the dais had faded away, leaving only the floor of the dais surrounded by a vast nothingness that reminded Ryu of the Test of Air.

The Bahamut came to rest a long way out of Luna's bow range, though possibly just within spell range of some of her simplest castings. Ryu sheathed his drawn sword. "I definitely need to be closer," he said. "If you need to as well, jump on." He transformed again, this time settling on the Myrmidon. Pausing a moment to give Luna a chance to jump on his shoulders (she did), he took off like a rocket toward Bahamut, who was obviously charging up for some sort of ultimate attack. Luna cast every spell that she could think of, trying to punch through the Bahamut's defenses, or even manage to distract it from whatever it was preparing for. Ryu did his part in darting around and through the bigger dragon, slashing across places that were weakened in the armor with his large sword.

Finally Bahamut let the attack fly, and the sheer power of it blasted the two smaller combatants all the way back to the dais, even though they had managed to dodge the main portion of the blast. Bahamut followed them to the dais, intent on finishing the two of them off, but he was unprepared for the counter attack.

"_Lumine!_" Ryu shouted.

"_Starlight!_" Luna cried, as she cast her own spell and combined the two spells into one more powerful one.

"_Starwash!_"

The burning light seared right through the armor, punching a hole through the torso of the Bahamut and causing him to fall out of sight behind the dais. After a breath, the Shrine reappeared, with Zenith and Ladon once again on the dais. Both Luna and Ryu fell backwards in exhaustion.

"I must admit," Zenith said slowly, "you are more skilled than I thought you were."

"I am proud of both of you," Ladon said warmly. "You're certainly powerful enough to have passed this test. Your prize is well-earned, Ryu."

"As is yours," Zenith said, not without a bit of grudging. "There are other forms you may take, young Luna. I thusly grant you the ability to use them... though your ultimate form will remain hidden until you are ready for it."

"And always, they're not willing to give us all of our presents at once," Luna said. Ryu's eyes started to fade, and he collapsed to his left side. Luna managed to catch him. As she laid him to the floor gently, she remarked, "I think you're right about Gods, though, Ryu."

"They can be quite the pricks."


	45. III:7: Playing Catch Up

**Act III: Adulthood  
****Chapter 7: Playing Catch Up  
****Party: Jenny, Emily, Nina**

Morning broke to a clear sky and soft breeze. The two travelers were up with the dawn and packing up the makeshift camp relatively quickly, though Jenny remained distracted by some of the surrounding ruins. Nina woke shortly afterward, though mostly because Emily shook her bedroll.

"Princess, we must be off," Emily told her while she shook.

"I can warp there..." Nina said sleepily, opening one eye to regard her interrupter. "Let me sleep a little longer?"

"The sooner we get out of here, the sooner we can get to where we're going."

Nina groaned, but rose and stretched. While she was so occupied, Emily rolled up her bedroll and put it onto the pack that Nina had. "I'm surprised you prepared with a pack, your Highness. I figured you weren't used to travel."

"Remember the Dragon's Journey I was present for? That was backpacking that I wasn't quite used to. When I got back, I made sure that I would have the necessary preparations to survive more easily if I had to do it again. A proper pack, rations, a bedroll... all things that I basically had to borrow from other members of the party at times, since the original 'plan' was for me to stay in inns or the Palace the whole time." Nina took the pack from the ground and slung it carefully over her shoulder and wing. "I felt helpless a few times during that trip. I don't ever want to be a burden; I don't want people having to make sacrifices for me."

Emily looked at Nina appraisingly. "You don't really act like the image I had of you acts."

Nina giggled. "You had an image of me?"

"Sure," Emily replied, slinging her own pack onto her shoulders. "I met you when you were a little tyke, after all. You couldn't have been more than six."

Nina's eyebrows skyrocketed. "I didn't recognize you."

Emily smiled. "It was a while ago."

Nina nodded. "Two-thirds of my life ago. I barely remember anything about that time." Jenny walked up to them, having completed her own packing. Nina looked to her. "All ready?"

"Yeah. I'm good," Jenny said. Emily nodded at Nina, who clapped her hands.

"Alright," Nina said. "Now, I know this is sort of backtracking for you, but in order to talk to any Gods, we're going to have to get to a Shrine, and the closest one is in the Windy Mountains. I can take us to the Mountain Path crossroad, but we'll have to enter the caves from there and head to the Temple and Shrine."

"Is it... safe?" Jenny asked.

"Perfectly; I mastered this spell a couple years ago. Unfortunately it was _after_ my little trip, so I can only warp to within the confines of Wyndia, but I can get us quite a few places in the country." Nina was smiling in her best reassuring way, though Jenny still seemed a little dubious of the process.

"I've done it before, though I don't know how to cast the spell myself," Emily said to Jenny. "It's a... weird feeling, but not unpleasant, and if we're going to catch this other dragon, we're going to have to take every speed advantage that we can find."

"That's true... I guess it's okay then," Jenny said.

"Alright. You don't have to remain perfectly still, but it's easier on me the less you move about while I am casting," Nina said. She closed her eyes and chanted under her breath for a moment while the other two tensed a little, which had the effect of keeping them still. Nina finished quickly. "_Warp!_" The world exploded into fragments and then reconstituted around the three travelers on a large clearing in the middle of the mountains. "Hoo, that's tiring."

"Very convenient, though," Jenny said, looking around. "That wasn't nearly as bad as I was thinking it was going to be."

"I feel like I should apologize, Princess," Emily said. "We, particularly Jenny, don't really trust you yet, as there aren't many people that we can trust at all and you're the first person to accompany us at any point since we escaped from the facility."

"It's alright," Nina said. "And please stop calling me Princess. For the moment, I'm just a fellow Ascent, unless my being Wyndian Royalty helps us out. You both can call me Nina, if that's alright with you."

Jenny turned red and waved her hands quickly. "I don't know if I feel comfortable being so familiar with a Princess..."

"If it would make you feel better, Nina, I'd be happy to call you that. I'd also like to get to know you better," Emily said. "You can tell Jenny and I all about the trip you had referenced."

"Alright, I'll tell you while we head to the Temple," Nina said. She lead the way into the caves and started on the story of three years ago, from leaving Wyndia intent on a diplomatic mission to Tuntar and the resultant misadventures that Ryu and she had been through.

The travelers reached the entrance to the Temple pretty quickly, and Nina lead the way inside, though off to one side. "Normally, those who haven't been in before shouldn't take this way, but I think we can make an exception for you today, Jenny." The alternate route lead them in a weird path through the cavernous rooms, but seemed to be a relatively direct path to the island at the end where a floating metal door rested. The symbol of Air was prominent in the center... though the door looked crooked when the travelers had reached the island on which it sat.

"Is there something wrong with the Shrine?" Emily asked. "I... don't think it's supposed to look like that."

Nina agreed, and drew her rapier. "Something's wrong." Emily unlimbered her scythe while Jenny did the same with her spear. As the three of them approached the door to the Shrine, it opened, and a woman came out.

Underneath immaculately groomed and stiff dark hair, hard brown eyes held almost more threat than the large axe that was held in a ready position. She looked at the newcomers with distaste. "I don't like distractions," she said in a clear low voice. "Or interruptions. But I think I've done all I can here." She tapped the door with her axe.

"What did you do?" Nina shouted.

"Only what was necessary. Actually, probably less, as neither of them really wanted to leave. But!" She gained a bit of a feral smile at this. "I seem to have gotten myself lucky, hmm?"

"Or maybe you bit off a little more than you can chew," Emily said, charging with her scythe at the ready. The threatening woman was ready for the strike, pushing Emily's powerful slash aside.

"Oh, I doubt it," she said, pulling her axe around with more agility than expected, forcing Emily to retreat a step. "I am one of the four Deva Advocates, after all." She slid back into an easy ready position. "Want to try me?"

Emily and Jenny stepped in to attack in concert, but both blows were held easily, and the woman didn't back up an inch. Nina had charged up something for the woman to deal with, however.

"_Blast!_" The explosion of pure magic got part of the woman, even though she held her axe up to take most of the power off of the attack. The anger in her eyes increased, however. She pressed the attack on Emily, only sparing moments to deflect away any try that Jenny tried to push through the defenses. Emily was holding her line alright, but the blows were powerful enough that she was getting pushed back despite quick skill.

A flash of white light erupted from Jenny and the nameless black dragon stood in her place and roared a challenge that gave the other three fighters pause. Jenny's charge had to be met fully by the woman, who managed to deflect even the strongest of Jenny's strokes with claws, tail and teeth. With her off-hand, the woman pushed an outstretched palm toward the dragon. "_Spike!_" The ground punched up through Jenny from beneath, launching her backward into the nearby cave wall. Emily immediately filled her place on the front line.

"_Rejuvena__te!_" Nina shouted, calling healing light to surround Jenny's fallen form. Jenny rose with the renewed strength, but Emily was already in trouble, having to deal with the woman by herself. Emily had taken a hit in her thigh, though she somehow remained standing. She was giving even more ground per blow now, however, and Nina called another _Rejuvenate _to help the older woman out. But it was too late, another swipe of the axe broke through the scythe's haft and cut through Emily's midsection, and she was down.

Jenny roared and charged in less than an instant, almost catching the woman by surprise, but not quite. The axe was in time to prevent most of the damage, but Jenny's pressing attack was more than a match for the strength and skill that the woman possessed. Beside the two warring women, Emily burst into flames before Nina could change her spell into one that would help her now. Not knowing precisely what that meant, Nina instead pressed a magical attack to supplement Jenny's fierce charge.

This was too much for the woman to bear; Nina's potent Air attacks were forcing her into movements that were awkward for defending against a dragon's attack. Jenny scored a few glancing hits, then got lucky with a solid scratch that took the woman's primary arm out of the fight. The fire suddenly winked out, and a beautiful phoenix let out a cry as she spread her wings, then reverted to human form. Emily clapped her hands together and sent a fireball at the woman, which she just barely dodged by disengaging with Jenny.

The woman snarled at Jenny as she jumped further back. "This is why we hate your kind!" Then the weirdness happened. A flash of black and the woman was replaced by what was obviously a tree... with a face in the bark. _Deal with this, _was projected into the Ascents' minds, right before more spikes of earth were erupting beneath them. Nina took to the air immediately, while Emily transformed to do the same. Jenny had no easy defense, however, and took the brunt of the magical onslaught. Occasional rocks from the ceiling provided the only real challenge for the two flying Ascents.

"_Rejuvenate!_" Nina called once again, keeping Jenny healthy enough to continue to take the brunt of the tree's attack. Emily, however, was charging a strong magical attack, which she let loose when Nina cast _Rejuvenate_ again.

"_Flame Pillar!_"

The tree erupted in flames, bringing along with them an unearthly scream before the tree shifted slightly and the same healing light as _Rejuvenate_ fell from the high branches down through the structure of the tree and into the trunk. Jenny, however, had other ideas, taking in air and exhaling in a midnight-black breath attack.

The tree emerged from the pitch inferno unscathed, and the three could hear laughter in their minds. _You think you can u__se Darkness against one of those blessed by the Goddess?_ An unexpected spike flung Jenny into the wall, forcing her to revert to human form. Emily unleashed another one of her red infernos, which caused the tree to once again be engulfed in roaring flames. Nina jumped at the chance to continue the onslaught, to give Jenny a moment to collect her bearings. "_Cyclone!_"

The Air attack fanned the flames further, and even though the healing light fell again, it wasn't able to douse the fires before another _Fire __Pillar_ blasted her right out of the form and back into the fierce woman.

The woman growled at the Ascents. "I'll get you for this, I swear it." With a gesture of her off-hand, she was gone in a shower of sparks, just in time to be missed by another _Fire P__illar_. Emily reverted to her human form the instant she touched down on the cave floor.

"She Warped away," Nina said while Emily ran to Jenny's side, though upon reverting to her human form, she was easily helped up and looked alright. "Have you ever seen her before, Emily?"

"No," came the response, though Emily was still checking an embarrassed and uncooperative Jenny for injuries. "Not in my life. Have you?"

"No," Nina replied. "I was hoping that she was someone that you had seen during your captivity... but if not, then there are other things that we need to be doing, like checking on the priests inside the Shrine." She moved to the door of the Shrine and tried to work it open. One of her own _Cyclone_s had shut it with apparent finality, and Nina's strength was not sufficient for working it open again. Once Jenny came to join her, they were able to make some progress, and Emily used her scythe as a pry-bar to break through the last of the issue. The door had been broken off of its hinges and was crooked in the door frame, making it extremely difficult to open once completely closed. After the women had managed to get it just partially open, it was relatively easy to open it the rest of the way and rush inside the Shrine.

The two priests were downed next to the dais. Nina rushed to the male, saying "no... no..." under her breath repeatedly. "_Rejuvenate!_" No response. "No! _Rejuvenate!_" Still nothing. She couldn't feel anything. "No! I refuse to give up! _Rejuvenate!_" Still no response. Then she felt Emily's presence behind her.

"_Raise Dead!_"

He coughed.

"_Rejuvenate!_" Nina called in a much stronger and confident voice. The injuries she could see reduced to much more manageable levels, and she flung herself over to the woman priest, who Jenny was leaning over with a quizzical and sad look on her face. "You too. I refuse to let this happen to you. _Rejuvenate!_" Nothing. "Aah!"

"_Raise Dead!_"

She coughed, letting blood out. "_Rejuvenate!_" More blood, but her breathing returned. Nina smiled and leaned back onto her elbows. "Emily...?"

"Yes, Nina?"

"Were they... actually dead? Is that why my healing didn't work but your spell did?"

"...Yes. As long as they haven't been dead for more than about an hour or so, it is possible to bring them back to the brink. You made sure they didn't go ahead and die again, though. I don't know how to do that. At least, not yet."

Nina slammed into Emily's midsection, mumbling something that Emily assumed was thanks and gratitude. Emily stroked Nina's blonde hair, having some fondness for the young Wyndian erupt in her chest.

"Yes. I must thank you as well," a translucent being appeared on the dais to say. "So many Ascents have died these past few years. It would be an incredible loss for even more to die now. You are Emily of the Phoenix Clan?"

"Who wants to know?"

"I am Ladon, God of Light. And Dragons." He looked down at Jenny. "Like you, though I have not seen you before in a Shrine. Who are you, little one?"

Jenny sighed heavily before taking on a wry expression. Emily answered for her. "She doesn't know. It was the reason why we had come here."

Ladon frowned. "Well, it is problematic, then, that you have not been on your pilgrimage, little one. Do you have a name that you go by?"

"Jenny, my Lord."

Ladon nodded. "Then that is what I shall call you, until such a time that you learn your true name. I am sorry that I am unable to help you on your quest." He turned to look at Nina. "I am glad to see you again, young Wyndian Princess. Perhaps taking Jenny to Ryu would be a good bet as to figuring out this young one's identity?"

Nina nodded. "That was my thought too, though he's probably already reached the other continent by now."

Ladon thought about this for a moment. "Yes... yes, if he left on his birthday, then he probably has reached the other continent by now, though I can tell you that he has not yet reached a Shrine. If you hurry, then you may be able to catch him. Try wherever he was headed later."

"I hope we can find him," Nina said.

Ladon chuckled. "I wouldn't worry too much about that, Princess. Now, please help me clean up our friends here and get them comfortable. I think now their bodies need time to recover."

"We do need to move on, if you can't help us but this Dragon that you and Nina were talking about can, then it would be best if we started heading toward catching up to him." Emily seemed somewhat agitated as she fixed the slight bend that the haft of her scythe had acquired.

"As long as you make them comfortable, they will recover well and I can take on the task of recalling for them what happened here," Ladon said.

"Do you know who that woman was?" Nina asked.

"Not precisely. But she claims to be one of the four Deva Advocates. I have heard rumor of them before, but not enough that I know what their objectives are. I do know that they are feared by those who know them." Ladon sighed. "The limitations of what I can and cannot see have been bothering me of late, I must confess."

"I think we can safely assume her an enemy of Ascents, and all of her compatriots as well," Emily said darkly.

"That would seem to be a safe assumption," Ladon agreed. Nina and Jenny had finished placing the two priests on the two cots that were in the Shrine. "Now, you must be off to the West. Romero's southern port is probably your best bet for finding a ship on short notice to the other continent."

"Will it be easier or harder if I throw my rank around?" Nina mused.

"I don't think you will have to," Ladon said with a smile. "As long as you leave now. Be well, my child." He said the last of this to Jenny, who blushed and shifted her eyes under her God's gaze.

The three of them left the Shrine, being sure to _not_ close the door completely. "Alright, what's the fastest way there?" Emily asked.

"I can Warp us to the Romero side of this cave, but that's as far as I've ever been afield into Romero from the Castle since I learned the spell. After that we'll have to hoof it to the port. It should take us the rest of the day. Well, most of it. Enough that we're not going to be able to convince anyone to weigh anchor until tomorrow morning."

"Then let's get this started," Emily said. "Warp us when you're ready, Nina." Jenny nodded her permission as well.

"Alright," Nina said before she closed her eyes.

Jenny's second Warp trip was a lot easier than the first one, since she knew exactly what to expect. When she opened her eyes again, she found that the three of them were now standing at the entrance to a cave, apparently the one that they had just been inside. There was a sharp drop off down to water to the left when facing away from the cave, though not one that Jenny couldn't run up if she were so inclined. The other directions had sparse trees and long flatlands.

It was nice, for Jenny, to actually remember a location... even if it was mostly because she had been here only a few days before with Emily.

"So we're now in Romero?" Emily asked.

"Yes. Along the southern coast, and up against the mountains that separate Wyndia and Romero from each other." Nina hefted her pack. "We should get moving; Ladon said that we don't have any time to waste."

The three of them started toward the west, where Nina was taking them. "Would Ladon have something specific in mind when he says something like that?" Jenny asked.

"What do you mean?" Nina turned her head to look at Jenny as jenny hurried to walk alongside the Princess.

"Well, it seemed to me like he knew that there was something specific about getting to our destination on time that meant a lot to our goals. Like, if there was someone that would help us a lot that we could easily miss if we don't hurry," Jenny explained.

"It's possible," Nina replied.

"It's also possible that he doesn't," Emily interjected. "After all, it's just smarter that we should arrive at the port as quickly as possible if we want to get passage on any ship that might be heading to the Western continent."

Jenny took in this information in silence, her companions falling into silence as well.

The trip across the southern plains of Romero was uneventful. The monsters gave the three female Ascents no trouble at all, especially since Jenny and Emily had been through here only a few days beforehand, and the addition of Nina made the battles more than a little one-sided.

The three of them reached the port in less than the day that Nina had predicted. The sun was still a bit above the mud flats to the west when they walked onto the brick streets rather than the grassy hillsides they had been traveling. "Should we head straight down to the pier, or should we find a place to stay for the night?" Emily asked.

"Ladon said that it would be best if we got here as soon as possible, so it seems to me that we should keep moving toward our destination as quickly as we can," Nina said, not breaking her stride. The two older women kept up easily.

"No captain in their right mind is going to want to shove off now, though," Emily said once the three of them were walking abreast again. "And it would be in our best interest to have our next beds lined up soon. The inns may be full by the time we get back to the outskirts of town."

"Ladon has yet to lead me astray, even if he has been cryptic occasionally," Nina said, and after that she would brook no more argument about it.

They headed as quickly as they were able down to the port, where there was still quite a bit of activity: a few larger ships had apparently arrived that day and were still off-loading cargo. The men moved quickly and efficiently, making sure that all the boxes were on the pier and in a particular out of the way place. There seemed to be quite a system for placing boxes such that none of the Ascents really understood it with a glance.

Nina stopped at the top of the pier area, peering under her hand to determine where this thing that Ladon had been thinking of was. Jenny folded her arms and sighed. Would it be something like having to find the captain of each of the ships moored in the bay and ask them whether they were shipping out really early in the morning or something like that? Then Nina's face changed to a rueful grin.

"I think I know what Ladon was thinking of," she said to her two companions before taking a deep breath and shouting. "RIGEN! GET OVER HERE!"

Jenny looked where Nina was facing to find that a fish-man (Manillo, so Emily told her later that night) looked startled as he looked their way. He then acquired a smile and ran up the ramp toward them.

Emily took a ready stance, though she did not take out her weapon. Nina stepped forward to greet the man as he reached them. "Princess Nina!" he said, coming to a stop and performing a stylish bow. "I certainly was not expecting to see you here given the war and all."

"Change of plans," Nina said. "And I think you'll even be able to help me out."

"Moi? Pray tell, your Highness."

"We," Nina included the other two women in her gesture, "need passage across the sea."

Rigen raised his eyebrows. "I'm guessing that you would like said passage at the greatest speed possible?"

"Of course. We need to catch up to Ryu," Nina said. Jenny frowned.

Rigen frowned too. "That might be difficult... I don't have control of any of the ships here, I'm just making sure that the cargo that the _Dauntless_ over there purchased from Prima is handled correctly. My job's actually finished, though, so I was going to swim back to Prima."

"Could you escort us?" Nina asked. "Do you have any Gills?"

"I always carry some Gills; never know when some rich noble might need them," Rigen said with a wink. "I guess that means that you really need them."

"Speed is essential if we're going to catch him," Nina said.

"Alright. I'll get you underway, then. I'll carry you across the ocean!"

"Carry us?" Emily asked, nonplussed.

"How?" Jenny inserted.

"With my Big Fish form, of course," Rigen told them. "Speaking of which, I haven't met either of the two of you lovely ladies. I am Rigen of the Manillo clan."

"Oh! I'm sorry, everyone, I should have done introductions," Nina said. "Yes, that's Rigen, our ticket across the ocean. Rigen this is Emily of the Phoenix Clan and Jenny of the Dragon Clan." Nina looked at Jenny, who shook her head slightly. Nina turned back to Rigen. "How about those Gills now? And how quickly can you get us across?"

"I can easily beat ocean voyages, but not by more than a day since we'll need to stop and camp. Oh, and pick up supplies at Prima. But it will be better than anything that you could get from these human bozos, I can promise you that."

Nina turned to her companions. "Any objections to starting now?"

"How long would it take us to get to Prima?" Emily said. "Is that where we'd have the first opportunity to rest on the trip?"

"There's a safe area for rest between here and there," Rigen told her. "And I can easily get us there before it gets too late. Then we could be to Prima by noon and heading across the Southern Ocean that afternoon to another rest area."

"These Gills allow us to breathe underwater?" Jenny asked.

"Yep! That's what they do," Rigen replied as Nina nodded. "I'll make sure that they're fitted correctly, and then off we go?"

After getting nods of assent and nodding himself, Rigen said, "Onward!"


	46. III:8: The Next Move

**Act III: Adulthood****  
****Chapter 8: The Next Move****  
****Party: Ryu, Luna, Trinil**

Consciousness came slowly to Ryu. Eventually he managed to force his eyes open and start moving other muscles. He was clearly on a bed of some kind. And the look of the room around him, as near as he could tell, looked like a typical room in an inn. He was probably somewhere in Spring, having been brought and/or Warped by Luna.

"Oh look! Somebody's awake!"

…Or Trinil. Wait. "Trinil?" Ryu rolled over so that he could look toward where the voice had come from.

"Yup! You've been out quite a while this time." He was seated on one of the other two beds in the room. That… explained a little bit. Trinil's golden face was exactly what he remembered, confirming his identity. "Luna's been a little worried over you."

"Where is she now?" Ryu asked, slowly sitting up.

"Out getting some supplies for our trip to wherever we're going next," Trinil answered.

Ryu scrutinized the newcomer for a moment. "And why are you here?"

"I have news. Bad news. Something you need to know sooner rather than later." Ah. That explained why Trinil hadn't smiled yet.

Ryu paused. What could he possibly need to tell him so badly? "Should I wait until I have a full stomach?"

Trinil shook his head. "I don't think that there's any easy way to lay this on you, so I'm just going to tell you: The King is dead."

Ryu blinked. Then he closed his eyes and tried to hide the sudden constricting feeling with a deep breath. "What happened?" he said, with a stronger voice than he was expecting.

"They snuck into the capital. And they managed to take us by surprise. The King was in his study, but they got pushed all the way back to their quarters. He was killed when we were getting the Queen out. I… couldn't do anything."

"And the rest of the Royal Family?" Ryu asked quickly.

"The Queen made it out, though she's probably back in the capital overseeing the rebuilding process by now. Kenneth is still on the frontline, learning by doing. Nina is still at the southern border fort."

Ryu forced himself to take another deliberate breath. The King was dead. That… It was hard to believe. And easy. After having everyone be suddenly gone from his life once…

"I couldn't do anything, Ryu," Trinil continued. "I just… I gaped when they got him. I couldn't do anything."

"From what you described, there was nothing you could have done about the King," Luna said, coming in with an armful of supplies. "You should probably stop blaming yourself for that." She dropped the stuff onto the unoccupied bed. "After all, you were also instrumental for saving the Queen. Can't ignore that if we're talking about what you did that day."

"You're taking this well," Ryu said to Luna.

Luna chuckled, though it wasn't all that mirthful. "I've had a few days to get used to the idea. You just woke up."

She had a point.

"Well." Ryu thought his breathing was returning to normal. "That's the worst way to wake up. Ever."

Trinil winced. "Sorry, man. You know if I could think of a better way to tell you - "

"You'll be fine," Luna said brusquely. "Honestly, we only really have to deal with it once we get back, right? Until then, there are lots of other things that we should probably be worrying about instead."

Ryu shook his head trying to clear it, though it didn't work. Why did anyone think that would work, anyway. "I guess you'd mean where we were headed now."

"Yes, yes I do. Though you should probably eat something before we go," Luna said.

"But go where?" Trinil said. "I'm lucky I caught up to the two of you here, since this was the last place that I knew that you'd be headed."

"There's a library here," Luna said. "I'm not entirely sure why, but there is."

"I'm not sure why they let you in," Trinil said. He opened his mouth to go on, but the sheer strength of the glare that Luna sent him had him close his mouth again.

"And I found something of interest there, though they wouldn't let me take it out," Luna continued. Trinil made a movement, and Luna's head whipped around toward him. "Not. A. Word." Trinil sank into the soft bed. "And it told of a few ghost stories in the plains to the north of Spring. Perhaps one of those stories will lead us to another Shrine, perhaps this time Mundane?"

"Well, other than the Shrine of Light, we're out of Heavenly and Earthly elements," Ryu said after a moment. "And Ladon keeps implying I'm supposed to do that one last. So. I guess that means we try heading north?"

Luna nodded. "As soon as you're well enough to travel."

Ryu's stomach growled audibly. "I think once I have that food you mentioned, I'll be all set."

"The innkeeper said that you could eat anytime. Just go tell someone in the kitchen that you'd like a meal and they'll serve it," Luna told him.

"What, you're not coming?" Ryu asked.

"Of course I'm coming," Luna snapped. "I just have to prepare our packs. And since this bozo" – she indicated Trinil – "doesn't seem to ever eat any less than a pound or more per meal, his extra pack doesn't seem to be helping us that much in net gain."

"Hey!"

"I guess I'll see you down there, then," Ryu said, beating a retreat before the two of them started to bicker about their faults.

Luna had been accurate in her instructions, allowing Ryu to acquire a meal that he demolished almost completely before the other two came down from the room with the packs. Luna dropped hers and Ryu's unceremoniously next to where Ryu was eating and headed to the front to check out. Trinil plopped into the chair next to Ryu's, not bothering to take his pack off. Or his hooded cloak, for that matter, but that made more sense. "I told you about the other Ascents that showed up?"

Ryu looked up at him and swallowed the food he had in his mouth. "No?"

"Oh. While we were evacuating the Queen, I was the back-guard. I was holding off a small squad of really good fighters when two Ascents showed up out of nowhere. A Phoenix and a Dragon, to be precise. With their help the rest of the cleanup was easy, especially since the Queen was already away with Lance and James."

"A Dragon?"

"Yeah. I told her that it was bad luck they missed you, but there were more pressing issues at the time. They volunteered to go get the message to the Princess."

"Do you know they're trustworthy?"

"They saved my butt. I mean, I probably could have taken the rest of the soldiers without them, but I certainly couldn't have left Wyndia to try to catch up to you two that day if they hadn't come."

Ryu frowned. "Hmph."

"Lighten up, Ryu, they're Ascents. They said… the Dragon's name was Jenny, I think. Does that ring a bell?"

Ryu shook his head slowly. He didn't remember any Dragon named Jenny.

"Damn," Trinil said. "Oh well. Maybe Nina will have the presence of mind to get more out of her."

Luna arrived and leaned over the back of the one of the remaining chairs at the table. "We can leave whenever you're done, Dragonboy."

Ryu took one last bite and pushed the plate away. Once he swallowed, he said, "Give me a minute or two to let it settle before we set off."

Luna shrugged, and got out a map. She walked the two young men through where the town was that they were headed to, pointing out the cave that they would pass through. They would be heading to the north side of the mountains, into the northern regions of the same plains that they had crossed before and head to one of the castle towns that was out there to base their operations. "The legend mentions a hill not far outside the town. We'll have to deal with the monsters, but that's nothing compared to what we can handle, even without Bozo."

"That's not my name."

Luna studiously ignored Trinil's objection. "We can either go with a caravan, or just go by ourselves. Alone would be faster, but with a caravan would be less… suspicious?"

"We don't want to advertise too much about our fighting abilities," Ryu allowed. "Do you know when the next caravan leaves?"

"Dusk," Luna said. When both of her companions looked at her askance, she shrugged. "Don't ask me why. They keep their own schedule."

Ryu let out a gusty breath. "Alright. How much time do we have?"

"An hour, maybe two," Luna said. "Plenty to get to the caravan and register. Should we register as able fighters, or keep that a secret?"

"Register you and me," Ryu said. "Trinil can't fight very well if he wants to keep his hood up the whole time."

"Is it really that bad out here?" Trinil asked, fingering said hood.

"It can be; we could have run into a real snag down in Scande if we were found out," Luna said. "I don't want to be caught in the middle of that mess."

"Alright," Trinil said, though he didn't seem that happy about it.

"Then it's settled; we're leaving on the dusk caravan north," Ryu said. Both of his companions nodded, and then they were preparing to leave the inn.

That evening found the three Ascents sitting on the back of the last wagon in the caravan, watching the mountains shrink into the distance. The gloom had started to wrap around them at this point, making it hard to see anything that wasn't within the light of the torches that were carried at several points in the caravan.

Luna swung her legs lazily beneath her as her eyes scanned the visible landscape of flat plains. Ryu felt wide awake, though didn't feel as energetic as Luna looked. Trinil had long fallen asleep on his perch, but since he wasn't technically charged with protecting the caravan as it moved forward, neither of the other two saw fit to wake him.

"You're worried," Luna said, still looking out at the dirt road that continued to lengthen behind the caravan.

"Of course I am," Ryu said. "How could I not be? If I have something else to think about, I'll think about it. But when all I'm doing is help keep watch, there's little I can do to keep my mind off it."

"Nina's fine, you know."

"Oh?" Ryu looked at Luna, studying her face for a moment. "Does that mean you care about her now?"

"No. Little annoying titch like that ain't gonna die so easily. Particularly if it would make my life easier."

"I don't see how it would make your life any easier to have the Princess dead," Ryu said soberly.

There was a short pause. "Dammit. This isn't how this conversation was supposed to go."

Ryu raised an eyebrow and found something was tugging at his lips. "How was it supposed to go?"

"You weren't supposed to reference that. You were supposed to make fun of my arguments with her and accuse me of liking her or something, which I would vehemently deny, and then you'd bring up an example, which I'd use to reminisce good times we had at the Castle." Luna nodded emphatically. "That's what was supposed to happen."

"Well, you do seem more fond of her than you used to," Ryu said, his smile showing fully.

"Liar. I kicked her butt three ways from Thursday before she left."

"Only because she wouldn't promise to get you a present this time."

"Why would that bother me?" Luna asked, her nose high. "I was leaving the Castle on my own adventure shortly anyway."

"You're always complaining that she has more adventures than you do."

"I know the Castle better than she does."

"Oh?" Ryu couldn't help but chuckle now as Luna launched into one of the rather short and close-to-home adventures that the two of them had exploring the Castle while they had lived there. This eventually brought Ryu back to sleep, leaving Luna to keep watch until she woke him later that night for second watch.

Neither watch brought anything that either of the Ascents had to do anything about, other than kicking Trinil when he got to snoring too loudly for anyone to be comfortable. The morning dawned to their left, slowly allowing better and better vision until the sun peeked up above the eastern horizon. The dew could even be seen on the grass. Luna kicked Trinil particularly hard, such that he fell out of the wagon.

"Hey! What was that for?" Trinil said, his hands going up to make sure that the hood hadn't dislodged in his fall. It hadn't, and Ryu wondered for a moment if Luna had managed to do that on purpose.

"Time to wake up, sleepyhead!" Luna said in a sing-song voice. Then she switched to a tone that implied she was speaking to a small child. "It's time to wake up, you pretty little boy, you!"

Trinil growled at her as he stalked his way back to the edge of the wagon and hauled himself up. "We almost there, yet?"

"Yeah," Ryu said. "We heard the shout that indicated that we're going to stop soon."

"Anything happen last night?"

"Other than you sawing logs?" Luna asked sweetly. "A few monsters came by, but mostly at the front rather than back here. I only needed Ryu's help once."

Ryu shrugged. "You could've handled it."

Luna cast a smile his way. "I appreciate the help anyway."

The caravan was let over the drawbridge shortly after it had been lowered, and then the bridge went back up.

"How do we get back out to do our thing?" Trinil asked quietly as the caravan rumbled in.

"Wait for farmers to come in, leave, or warriors to come in or leave," Luna answered.

"We'll figure it out," Ryu said as the wagon came to a stop. The three of them hopped off the back, waving up to the guard station, who closed the portcullis. "Particularly aggressive lately?" Ryu called up to the guards.

The one that wasn't closing the iron gate chuckled. "Yeah, they seem to be coming from this side lately, so if you want to have a walkabout, it's going to have to be through one of the small gates."

As it turned out, the fort had one large entrance, where the wagons could fit in, and three other much smaller entrances which were only big enough for a small group to go single file through a long hallway filled with arrow holes to each side and small oil holes in the ceiling. "We don't take any chances," one of the warriors said when Luna asked about the system. "Occasionally monsters manage to kill travelers like yourselves while you're still in the passage. Then we let them have it from our defensive positions."

"Does that happen often?" Ryu asked.

"Not really; but it tends to come in waves. The monsters seem to be particularly nasty of late. Most of us are out patrolling the farms in order that we have a good crop this year."

There were still plenty of warriors and guards that were inside the small fort-town. And, of course, all of the non-combatants that supported them. That included a few places to stay, thankfully, and the three Ascents got themselves checked into one of those places in short order. They left only things in the room that they were willing to lose (excess food supplies, for instance), while carrying slightly lighter loads. The guards let them out one of the 'exit corridors', though the group was not attacked by any monster groups until they were well away from the fort.

Luna lead the way across a couple miles of landscape. Finally she stopped. "Okay, it's somewhere around here."

"What are we looking for, again?" Trinil asked, his hood down so that he could see the ground around them better.

"We're looking for a sinkhole of some kind," Luna said, her voice distracted. "Possibly nothing like that, but it's supposedly possible to walk right past it without noticing that it's there at all."

"Do we know anything else about it so that I-... never mind."

"What?" Both Trinil and Luna looked at Ryu, who was looking down at his feet.

"I think I found it," Ryu said.

"How do you know?" Trinil asked.

Ryu looked up, grinned at him, then did a little hop - and fell into the ground beneath him.

Luna gasped while Trinil's eyes widened. Despite being further away, Luna reached where Ryu had disappeared from before Trinil did. They both arrived, looking down to find, in a tiny dip, a little hole. And Ryu's grinning face looking up at them.

Luna narrowed her eyes at the cheekily waving Dragon. "Are you about finished?"

"How about you come down here, and we can get on with this Temple?"

Trinil suited this suggestion by stepping forward and falling the short distance into the weird hole. "Wow, that was weird."

Luna was unimpressed. "I'm not a fan of weird."

"Or you could stay behind."

Luna stepped forward.

Once her vision cleared, she found she was in a small cavern with her companions. While the ceiling was only a few feet from her head, Luna thought that the hole looked even closer than that when she looked up to the small circle of sky visible from where she now stood.

"See? No problem," Ryu said to her before looking around at the rest of the visible cavern. "Very strange place you've found, I must say." The cave went off in four directions from where the three Ascents stood, curving out of sight after only a handful of paces. It was well-lit, but for no discernable reason.

"As long as it's a Temple with a Shrine, I really couldn't care less what form it takes," Luna said, also looking around. "Now, of course, we have to figure out which way we're supposed to go in order to find the Shrine."

"If there is one," Trinil said, looking around. "Or it could be some sort of weird set up to mess with us. Were any of the Earthly elements' Temples quite so… surreal, Ryu?"

"The only one you didn't see was Fire, Trinil, and it was a pretty basic path through a volcano," Ryu said. "Heck, only Air really required figuring out which path was true and which were false."

"Well, Wyndians don't know how to be straightforward, so that makes sense," Luna said. Ryu coughed, hiding something that he was about to say. "But now, we have four choices and three people. So even if we split up, there would be at least one path that we didn't try."

"And that of course means that it'll be the one we want," Trinil added.

Luna shrugged to concede the point, and turned to Ryu. "So that's where we stand. What's the plan, then, oh fearless leader?"

Ryu looked from one path to each of the other ones, thinking that there was no difference between any of them. He made a decision. "I don't care if it takes us four times as long. We're sticking together for safety's sake."

Luna nodded, and Trinil let out a breath. "Which one, then?"

Ryu pointed down the one that, if his sense of direction wasn't lying to him, lead the furthest away from the nearby fort. "We'll try this one first."

The three Ascents headed into that particular arm of the cavern and turned the corner, leaving the sight of the entrance behind. They didn't run into any monsters, instead being presented with more choices of where to go. Having already made the decision to stay together, Ryu just indicated where he thought the best way was to go, and kept moving forward.

It was taking forever. The cave was clearly quite the maze, and the inability to tell time from the sun's position was making it more difficult. Ryu and his companions moved forward, using the paths that he picked, dutifully but with a growing unease. Was something going to happen? There had been a handful of typical cave-dwelling monsters, but they had been dispatched quickly and did not appear very often.

Finally, after turning yet another corner, Ryu had another choice to make and turned back to check on his companions. Neither were with him.

Ryu spun around to see if he could spot them, but he knew that he wouldn't; he could easily swear that they were right behind him. He took a couple quick steps backward and checked

Ryu paused a moment, becoming completely still to be able to better hear any noises around him in the cavern. After a moment of complete silence, he called out. "Trinil?" Five seconds of nothing but his own echo. "Luna? Not funny." Five seconds of nothing but his own echo.

This stumped him entirely. Where could they have gone? That explained the funny feeling that had been building up over the whole exploration of this cave. Something had now happened... and Ryu wasn't entirely sure what he should do about it.

"Luna?" he called again, moving further back from where he had come. "Really not funny." But he no longer expected to get an answer, and his volume was decreasing. Back at the previous intersection, he took a long look each of the ways. No sign of either of his companions. "Just in case you hadn't noticed," he said, as if to no one in particular. "I'm not happy about this, Ladon."

He hadn't been expecting a reaction to his mini-rant, but he got one anyway. A short laugh came behind him. He whirled to face Luna, who had a bit of an evil smirk on her face. While that wasn't all that out of the ordinary, there was something significantly wrong with the way that she was looking at him. "Blaming Ladon for all of your problems, huh?"

Ryu narrowed his eyes to the point that he was basically squinting. "Who are you?"

"Why, Luna, of course. Who else would I be, anyway?" She gestured down at her body. "I am what you see."

"Liar," Ryu said with conviction.

The evil smirk got wider. "A smart one. Well then. Let's get down to business then, shall we?" Her hand came up quickly, showing the glow of stored magic. Ryu dove out of the way of the shot of power that flew through the space he had just occupied, and brought his sword to bear. He was just in time to dodge another powerful magic shot before he was able to launch an attack of his own.

"_Aire!_"

The Light-based attack was something that "Luna" was merely able to shrug off. "You call that magic?" she mocked him, before charging a more powerful attack of her own. "_Starlight!_"

Ryu dodged as well as he could, but still felt the distinct burn of magical starlight. He decided a little strengthening was in order. "_Barrier!_" The shield of magic surrounded his body, then faded from visibility. The next _Starfall_ that hit him stung a lot less and he was able to push through it to swing his sword at his adversary. She twisted to one side, having only received a glancing blow.

"Very smart one," she said, still mocking in tone. "Try this then! _Lune!_" Moonlight shot from her hands and struck Ryu directly in the chest. He grunted with the pain of it, but the Barrier took a significant amount of the load. Ryu was able to push through it and counter with a horizontal slash, which "Luna" was unable to completely dodge. Black liquid spilled from the wound, and "Luna" held a hand over it to stem the flow. "You think that will do me in?" she said, _still_ mocking him, though there was clearly some effort in her voice.

"Where is Luna? And Trinil?" Ryu asked, his sword now at her throat. Luna looked at him with hatred as a response, then her figure softened, and she faded into black mist... leaving Ryu alone once again. Ryu slashed through the mist, scattering it throughout the cavern. "Luna!" he called again, still staring at the point where the figure had dissipated from. "Trinil! Where are you?"

"Ryu?" he heard Luna call. It was very faint, but Ryu was reasonably sure that he could tell where it was coming from.

"Stay there!" he called toward the direction that he thought her call was coming from. "I'll come to you!"

"Okay!" he heard her call, giving him another chance to determine where she was. He apparently made the right choice in the first cavern, because Luna's voice was even stronger the next time he asked her to call out. In short order, they had reunited. And shortly after that they heard Trinil's voice in the distance. In total it was probably five minutes from the fake Luna's disappearance until the three Ascents stood in the same intersection.

"What happened?" Ryu said without preamble once they had reunited.

"I don't know," Trinil said. "One moment I'm behind the two of you and then the next you're nowhere to be found."

"I lost you around a corner," Luna said to Ryu, "and once I knew that I couldn't find you, I figured out that Trinil was also not behind me."

"Did anyone attack you?" Ryu asked.

"Yes..." Trinil said. "It was you."

Ryu looked at Luna. "I had you."

Luna frowned. "I had Trinil."

The three of them looked at each other, then shrugged in unison.

"It looks like you passed," a voice said from behind them. The Ascents whirled to find the signature floating silver door and a woman in priestly robes.

"Passed what?" Ryu asked.

"The Temple of Friendship," the woman said. "Or the Temple of Solitude, if that's the way you handle the test. But the three of you certainly expressed Friendship rather than Solitude. Congratulations."

"So..." Ryu slowly let the word roll off his tongue.

"So, the three of you should come in the Shrine of Friendship," the woman said, opening the floating door and beckoning. The three Ascents took her advice, and entered.

Ladon was alone on the dais, but otherwise it looked like all of the other Shrines that Ryu had visited up to that point. "Congratulations, Ryu. And Luna." Zilant appeared to Ladon's right. "And Trinil." Donarah to Ladon's left. "You have chosen the Shrine of Friendship for your next increase of power. I must say that I am proud of your choice."

"I didn't know there was a choice involved," Ryu said.

"The choice was made with your actions, young Dragon. And now I will reward you with the ability to go into a dragon form based on one of your companions," Ladon said.

"I shall grant you the ability to fuse with another Ascent companion in Ascended form, and the ability to know when you are Ascended if a friend is in danger," Zilant told Luna.

"And I shall grant you the ability to fuse with another Ascent companion in Ascended form, and the ability to revert from your Ascended form right when you are about to lose control," Donarah said to Trinil. "May that last ability be one you never have the opportunity to use."

"Now, don't try to come back to go to the Shrine of Solitude. You may only count one. Now, there's one more to go before you can ascend the Tower of the Gods," Ladon told Ryu. "Keep heading north. You won't go wrong in that direction."

"And for all of that, of course, you have to put us to sleep," Ryu said.

"Naturally, young Dragon," Donarah said with a wry grin. "What else would we do?"

Both Luna and Ryu were grumbling when they lost consciousness.


End file.
